MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING, DECEMBER 12, 2005
PRESENT: Chairperson Anne Larner, Vice-Chairperson
Dori Zaleznik, Gail Glick, Susan Heyman, Patricia Kellogg, Marc Laredo, Nancy
Levine, Reenie Murphy, Mayor David Cohen, Superintendent Jeffrey Young, Charlie
Heidlage, student representative – Newton North High School
ALSO PRESENT: School Committee elect Claire Sokoloff and
Jonathan Yeo
ABSENT: student representative –
OPEN
SESSION
MOTION: At 6:10 p.m., it was moved, by roll call
vote,
to convene in executive session for the purpose
of discussing matters related to collective
bargaining and salary negotiations. If passed,
the Committee will reconvene in open session
at 7:30 p.m.
(Zaleznik –
Levine)
8 – 0 – 1
Absent for vote: Mayor Cohen
Roll
call vote by ward:
Ward
l, “yes” (Glick); Ward ll, “yes” (Murphy); Ward lll, “yes” (Larner); Ward lV,
“yes” (Levine); Ward V, “yes” (Heyman); Ward Vl, “yes”
(Kellogg); Ward Vll, “yes” (
CALL
TO ORDER
Chairperson Anne Larner called the meeting to order at 7:45 p.m. She thanked outgoing members Patty Kellogg
and Nancy Levine for their many hours of hard work over the past four years for
Patty and six for
Committee members then offered comments, anecdotes and thanks to
Patty and Nancy. It was noted that
Patty Kellogg expressed appreciation for having had the opportunity
to serve these past four years on the Committee. Newton Public Schools are the beneficiary of
some of the most competent, creative, and compassionate individuals in
education. The greatest challenge they
face is in lack of sufficient funding and it will be up to the community to
address this dire need with the state and federal governments. The composition of the new School Committee
brings multiple strengths to this board and she wishes them the best of luck in
the hard work they face ahead.
Nancy Levine stated that
PUBLIC COMMENT
Clare McCully, Executive Director of the Newton Schools Foundation
(NSF), noted that she will be leaving Newton after serving in this role for the
past eight-and-a-half years. She
expressed thanks for the collegiality and collaboration she has experienced. This is due to the excellent working
relationship of not only the current Mayor, Superintendent, School Committee,
and NSF Board of Directors, but to those who served in these roles, including
her own, over the past 20 years. Together
they have been able to grant more than $2.2 million to the schools. She thanked everyone for the time they
devoted to NSF events, meetings, and presentations. Having served as a school committee member in
another community, she is well aware of the challenges they face and the
outstanding community service they provide.
While she will no longer serve as Executive Director, she will remain an
active citizen of
Anne Larner thanked Clare on behalf of the entire Committee for the
years of service she has given to the school system. She has taken a small organization and turned
it into a substantial support system, which has been invaluable -- especially
in difficult financial times when they have faced so many cuts.
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES’
DISCUSSION
None.
RECOGNITIONS
The following recognitions were acknowledged:
Timothy Matthews,
teacher at
the
his first-hand experiences to the classroom,
particularly around his
work in election security, which will bring to life
the importance of the election process in a democratic society.
The following
one of the core beliefs of the
APPROVAL OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
MOTION: It was moved to
approve the School Committee
executive session meeting minutes of 10/24/06.
(Zaleznik
– Murphy)
unanimous
DISCUSSION ITEMS
FURTHER DISCUSSION OF
Jeff Young stated that tonight’s
material provides more detailed information around the educational
specifications (ed specs) that were summarized at the last meeting and responds
to some questions and concerns posed by Committee members. No action is expected tonight, as this will
be another opportunity to review the material and pose any further
questions. After reviewing the
enrollment projections, which will be discussed in more detail later this
evening, it is anticipated that high school enrollments will exceed original
projections particularly as they get into the years beyond 2010. Therefore, he is proposing the addition of
four core classrooms to the project, for a total of 60, one which could be a
courtroom if they chose to use it in that manner. Some tradeoffs were made in other locations
to provide the necessary additional square footage and to stay close to the
same bottom line. After receiving a very
articulate letter from staff of the science department and further discussion
with the design team, he is also recommending a change in square footage of the
science labs from 1,080 to 1,200. State
guidelines call for these spaces to be in the range between 1,000 to 1,200
square feet and that is what is reimbursable.
They are also proposing an increase in the square footage for the Career
& Technical Education program and have provided more detail in this
area. They are considering the addition
of a cosmetology program because of the number of students who have signed up
in recent year. However, the additional
2,500 square feet should be considered flexible space to meet program needs and
not anything specific at this point.
They
also added 3,000 square feet to the physical education program, in order to
accommodate the desired placement of the exhibition gym and simulated outdoor
arena (SOA) and in order to have bleachers.
The tradeoff that was made was to gain all of this square footage, was
to cut back on some of the 6,500 square feet of unassigned “break out” space
that was designated for general flexible space not assigned to any department. They have also decided on using a 1.41%
multiplier, which is the percentage factor that is used in determining the rest
of the building space, such as corridors, stairways, walls, restrooms,
mechanical space, etc. and members of the design team can speak to any
questions the Committee may have about that factor. Total square footage for the program is
388,131.
Don Walter, Project Manager, Dore & Whittier Architects, Inc., went over the list of questions and issues posed by
Committee members at the last meeting:
●An explanation of
how they were making spaces “work harder.”
The idea was to try to have spaces be available for dual purposes
where possible. For instance, the
cafeteria, which is used for three lunch seatings a day, properly designed
could also be utilized as a conference or lecture space, as well as for
programs before and after school.
Another example is the locker rooms, which could serve the physical
education program during the day, as well as for after-school teams and the
public in the evening.
●A concern about the square footage and number
of seats in the new auditorium vs. the current space.
There are currently 550 seats and the proposal calls for 700. There will be more space in front of the
stage. The small theater will remain.
●A request to define the markup.
The national standard is 1.425% (70% net; 30% gross). They are using 1.41% and feel comfortable
with this slighter smaller number because of the size of the school and the
fact that they have programmed some of the space that might typically be found
in the markup factor, such as receiving and loading dock area and some
mechanical spaces.
●A concern about
maintaining flexible spaces for the special education (SPED) program.
They continue to work with the department on fine-tuning this area.
Jeff Young noted that they want to be sure there is the right mix of
large and small spaces to be tailored to the nature of the program.
Anne Larner added that they also want to be cognizant of the need
for flexible space for the possibility of returning programs in-house, as well
as developing new programs in the future.
●The concern
regarding the square footage of the science labs was previously answered by the
Superintendent.
●A concern regarding the decreased square
footage in the houses.
The reason for the difference in size in the house programs between
North and South is in the difference in what they offer. There will not be a mini-lab or lounge at
North and the guidance spaces are dispersed throughout the building.
Charlie Heidlage expressed concern about the average class size
being set at 23 per classroom, when the majority of his classes are currently
over 25.
Don Walter stated that the plans call for some larger classroom
spaces that could accommodate more students.
One solution that could be considered is the use of moveable partitions
between classrooms. The current models
are greatly improved and work almost as well as fixed walls in terms of muting
sounds.
Jeff Young added that the class size issue is more of a budgetary
vs. architectural solution. The
challenge is not in asking the architects to design larger spaces to hold 30
students, rather to find ways to avoid having class sizes of 30.
Anne Larner stated that the current design calls for average class
sizes of 23 and asked if those classrooms could hold 28.
Don Walter replied that, with appropriate set up of the classroom,
this could be accomplished.
Charlie Heidlage asked how the new classes compare in size to the
current space.
Don Walter replied that the current classrooms are 725 square feet,
so these are actually larger.
Gail Glick asked about the impact of the cut in the breakout space
to accommodate the increases in the other areas.
Don Walter stated that until they begin to actually get into the
layout of the design, it is difficult to tell what impact that will have on the
space. There may be some opportunities
to create larger spaces adjacent to classrooms.
Gail Glick asked if the cut in breakout space disqualifies one
avenue of design over another, i.e., corridors vs. clusters.
Don Walter replied that it does not exempt any design concept.
Jeff Young stated that while it may not exempt a design concept, it
certainly will be constraining because it is a tradeoff. The preference would be to keep that space
for future flexibility, but it was felt that this would not be a prudent move
given the difficult fiscal situation.
Anne Larner noted that the Committee directed the Superintendent to
attempt to work on cost effectiveness.
They need to see cost estimates so that they can balance that with the
constraints.
Reenie Murphy asked about the sentiments that may have been
expressed at the workshop about
Don Walter stated that while some people expressed interest in
retaining the current avenue type design of
Jeff Young noted that form follows function, so the idea is to
determine the values associated with the common gathering space and to be sure
whatever ultimate design is chosen meets these needs. At this point there is no decision around the
specific design.
Don Walter agreed and added that part of the challenge is to create
a variety of spaces so that opportunities exist to be out in public as well as
in smaller, more intimate areas.
Nancy Levine asked if the additional square footage to the science
labs will result in more seating or more space to move around.
Don Walter replied that it is meant to have more space for movement.
Nancy Levine commented that the enrollment report indicates more
students than originally projected and she is concerned that they are planning
for a building that will be heavily utilized from the start.
Anne Larner reminded Committee members that the State allowed
reimbursement for 1,750 students. Given
that they felt this was too tight, they pushed that number to 1,850.
Susie Heyman asked if they would be able to keep the 85% utilization
rate with the 2,000 students projected for FY16.
Don Walter stated that 85% is a common utilization factor for
planning high schools. Based on the
number of teaching stations they have established and the number of students
per station, they are in excess of 2,000 available seats with 85%. The current plans would allow for
approximately 2,050 students with the 85% utilization factor. They are comfortable that they have built in
the flexibility to address unanticipated growth.
Heidi Black added that teaching stations include not only the core
classroom, but all the places where students are engaged in instruction.
Susie Heyman asked about the increased costs.
Nick Parnell, Building Commissioner, stated that with the increase
in oil and steel, they have seen a spike in construction costs of approximately
18% in just one year. The estimators are
working with the project team and figures should be available within a week or
two.
Dori Zaleznik stated that while they need to be mindful of costs and
that informed their charge to the Superintendent to review the program, it
remains their obligation to create a school that meets the educational needs of
students.
Patty Kellogg asked if they are in the upper end of the range of
state recommendations for general classroom size.
Don Walter replied that the range is 750 to 850.
Patty Kellogg noted that they are at the lower end and she remains
concerned about the lack of flexibility for enrollment increases. She then mentioned the child studies
preschool lab, which appears to have one toilet and noted that adults and
children should not share the same bathroom and adults cannot leave the
children unattended to use a restroom.
Heidi Black commented that this would be considered under the markup
that they discussed in terms of an adjacent restroom for adults. In planning for pre-K and K classes, the
design of a nearby adult restroom is standard practice. The toilet in the
classroom is listed under program space for children. There is usually always more than one person
in the classroom so that students are not left alone if a staff member needs to
use a restroom
Marc Laredo asked if the track will be competition size or if it is
meant for practice and how many laps it has to the mile.
Don Walter replied that it is a developmental vs. competition track
used for practice and for the junior varsity teams and has 15 laps per mile.
Marc Laredo asked about the number of laps on the current track.
Don Walter stated that there are 12 on the current track.
Marc Laredo asked about the possibility of keeping it at 12 laps
because 15 will make it a tight area.
Don Walter stated that while it is at the low end, it meets indoor
track standards.
Marc Laredo would like to see this reviewed and some conversation
had with the coaches. He asked how the
1,200 square feet for science classes matched against state standards.
Don Walter responded that it varies among states and 1,200 is an
acceptable level and at the higher end for
Marc Laredo noted that they have science classes with 30 students,
so at 52 square feet that would bring the total to 1,560. They are looking at the ed
specs not only from a budgetary standpoint but a program one as well, so he
would encourage them to revisit this issue because he is concerned about safety
issues. He would also like to have some
more information on the federal standards, as well as those of the national
science organizations.
Jeff Young noted that the one of the professional organizations (The
National Science Foundation) recommends 1,600 to 1,800 square feet per 24
students
compared to the 1,000 to 1,200 recommended by
the State, so their attempt was a way to reconcile the two while keeping in
mind the financial situation. No one
would disagree with wanting larger classrooms, but that has to fit in with the
bottom line square footage and the discussions around increased costs.
Marc Laredo stated that regular classrooms can more easily
accommodate a tighter fit than a science lab, which has safety factors
involved. He would prefer they make the
regular classrooms tighter if they have to choose between the two.
Dori Zaleznik wondered if some of this conversation might be an
issue of non-architects looking at numbers without a true appreciation of what
square footage looks like. Perhaps a
breakdown of the current classroom sizes in the building would help as a frame
of comparison. While the science labs at
South feel somewhat crowded, 1,200 square feet seems a lot larger than 1,080,
so a visual picture might also be helpful.
Anne Larner expressed caution in being able to afford to build to
accommodate the largest possible class sizes.
Mayor Cohen would like to know the distribution of the large classes
and whether they can be accommodated by the space in the plans.
Nick Parnell stated that sixty classrooms at 850 square feet is a
good amount of space, but the team can do the comparative analysis and diagram
layouts, which should provide the Committee with a better concept of the space
for their discussions.
Reenie Murphy asked at what point they will be discussing the
outside athletic fields and programs.
Nick Parnell replied that this would be part of the footprints,
which will take about six to eight weeks to design.
Don Walter added that it will take time to develop because it
involves a host of things, such as building configuration, parking, sidewalks,
access, etc.
REPORTS
SUPERINTENDENT’S
PERSONNEL REPORT
There were no questions on the report.
FY06 BUDGET UPDATE
Jeff Young noted that this month’s report is similar to last month’s,
with utilities still being the unknown factor.
Anne Larner asked the Mayor if he knows when the utilities numbers
will be locked in so that they can get a handle on the impact.
Mayor Cohen stated that the figures have been locked in and his
office is currently working on some estimates that are not yet complete. They have been very concerned about this and,
in anticipation of increased costs, had set aside $400,000 in reserve (70%
schools/30% city) over and above the anticipated increases that had been
factored into the budget. That being
said, he believes they are going to have to work together to face some serious
challenges.
SPECIAL EDUCATION (SPED)
UPDATE
Jeff Young mentioned that the SPED aides account remains fairly
stable. The preschool has experienced
some greater needs than anticipated and they are hoping that, with Lisa
Robinson serving in her new role as Preschool Coordinator, they will be able to
target these areas with a little more accuracy for the coming fiscal year.
Margie Daniels, Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Services, commented
that Lisa Robinson’s leadership has been outstanding in the pre-school. In the short period of time that she has been
serving in this role, she is overwhelmed with the number of compliments she has
received about her from staff and parents.
They are short in the number of aides in the pre-school and this tells
them they will have to do more careful planning in preparing next year’s
budget. There were
some unanticipated move-ins, particular an increased number of students on the
autism spectrum. Students at this level,
with this type of disability, often require one-on-one support.
Reenie Murphy noted that the number of students with disabilities
receiving relates services dropped dramatically at the pre-school level since
the beginning of the year. She also
asked for an explanation of the “undistributed” aide line item.
Margie Daniels explained that the reason for the drop in number of
pre-school students receiving services has to do with the fact that they have
moved onto kindergarten and were still being carried in this line item but have
since been moved. Other contributing
factors were the small number of students who moved out of
Sandra Guryan, Assistant Superintendent for Business, Finance &
Planning, added that in the forecast she has accounted for all the aides currently on staff and projected them forward for the
rest of the year, along with an additional five that may be needed. So, while it may not appear as a reserve in
the SPED information, these type of situations are
factored into all of the line items.
OPERATIONS STATUS
REPORT
Jeff Young pointed out that the heating, ventilation and
air-conditioning (HVAC) work is picking up.
The average number of work orders has gone from 19 per week several
weeks ago up to 28. The heating season
certainly creates the demand for more work orders and the crew has been very
busy.
Michael Cronin, Chief of Operations, noted that the heating systems
are starting to rev up to 100% demand since the drop in temperature, so they
are running nearly 24 hours a day and obviously they are discovering areas that
require repairs. They have been concentrating
on addressing rooms that have been reported to be too cold or too hot. These are the reasons for the increased
number of work orders.
Marc Laredo asked about the Ward boiler, which apparently exceeded
budget.
Mike Cronin stated that the bid came in at $202,000 ($52,000 over
estimation), so they are in conversations about how to deal with this
situation.
Marc Laredo expressed concern that there is only one functional
boiler at Ward, which is old, and there are no backup plans if that boiler
malfunctions.
Mike Cronin does not believe it is a matter of whether or not they
will get approval, rather an attempt to find the right funding source. He will be meeting with City officials about
this matter later this week.
Susie Heyman suggested the Chair have a conversation with the Mayor
about the importance of this issue.
Anne Larner stated that if there is a need after the meeting Mike
has this week with City officials, they will be sure that the appropriate
conversations are held.
Marc Laredo noted that many of their buildings are having heating
problems and he wondered how they compare to commercial buildings, suspecting
that the latter would have far fewer problems.
Mike Cronin stated that age is one factor and commercial buildings tend
to turn their systems around more frequently.
There are a larger number of parts in the heating system of an
individual classroom vs. a commercial building, which blows forced air into the
building through a roof unit. In the
schools they run forced hot water or steam from a boiler through a myriad of
pipes and have numerous parts to deal with, such as valves, thermostats, fans,
dampers, etc.
Marc Laredo asked if they would switch to a commercial style system
in future renovation projects.
Mike Cronin stated that a more extensive renovation would allow for
such a change. He noted that these are
the systems being put in place at the high schools.
Marc Laredo commented that this information will be helpful for
long-range planning purposes.
Jonathan Yeo asked about the timeline for the energy audit at
Mike Cronin responded that the company has begun their
assessment. They are very enthusiastic
and thorough and will need approximately eight weeks to prepare some
recommendations once the survey is completed.
There will most likely be some dollars associated with the plan.
Jonathan Yeo asked if they have found any significant problems in
any of the HVAC work orders.
Mike Cronin stated that he considers it a serious problem whenever a
classroom is without heat, so this is treated as an emergency. In terms of the boilers themselves, there are
no immediate needs, but some will need attending to in the next budget
cycle.
Marc Laredo requested that a review be taken on the calorie and fat
content in the newly added flavored milks in the lunch program, as well as a
look at the serving sizes to be sure they are not “super-sizing” meals.
Mike Cronin stated that the flavored milks are being geared more to
the older students who felt that the small 10 oz. containers were too childish
and they preferred twist-off cartons. He
will provide the Committee with information on the calorie and fat
content.
Reenie Murphy asked if they will be recycling the plastic
containers.
Mike Cronin replied that they have been working with a source
reduction team from the City for a couple of years around implementing a
recycling program for glass and plastic.
The process to get that up and running with Waste Management, the trash
removal contractor, is very involved.
Reenie Murphy hates to see recyclable materials being thrown into
regular trash and suggested that until a program is in place they hold off on
adding new plastic products.
ENROLLMENT
ANALYSIS REPORT
Sandy Guryan stated that before she launches into the report, she
wished to thank members of her staff who have put a lot of time and effort into
preparing this material – Sean Manion, Eileen Meggison and Susan Dzikowski. She then conducted a PowerPoint Presentation
showing the highlights of the report.
The total enrollment as of October 1st is 11,415 – an
increase of 147 over last year. The bulk
of the increase is at the elementary level (+158). Middle School enrollment is down (-86) and
high school enrollment is up (+75). The
elementary enrollment is up 144 students above what was projected in the last
enrollment report and elementary is up 62 students from last year. She then showed the actual and projected
enrollment history from 1976 to 2010.
Since 1996 enrollment has remained fairly stable and is just now
starting to show slight increases. She
then reviewed the past five years of enrollment changes by level showing that
elementary has remained mostly stable; middle school has been down and high
school has grown, resulting in a very small change in the overall enrollment
systemwide. In terms of the overall
accuracy of the projections, they have stayed below 1% or within 99% accuracy
for a number of years but this year they were off by 1.6+. This caused them to go back and review last
year’s projections to see what they might be able to do about this, while at
the same time keeping the statistically sound method in place. In reviewing the kindergarten situation,
rather than just using the census, they included the use of a historical trend
line known as a linear regression analysis and applied a three year vs. five
year average, in order to give more weight to the recent trend. They also worked closely with the City’s
Planning Department around various housing projects underway in the City and
factored in the Avalon development in Chestnut Hill, similar to what they did
several years ago on
Marc Laredo thanked her for a very thorough, comprehensive
report. He noted that projections for
Sandy Guryan admitted that using the new projection method for
kindergarten produces robust projections.
However, Lincoln-Eliot experienced a large increase last year, which
impacted more than just the kindergarten.
Marc Laredo commented that aside from Avalon By, there is a fairly
finite housing stock and there may not be enough housing to accommodate that
many elementary students in a district of that size. He asked if they saw a change in the number
of kindergarteners attending public vs. private school this year.
Sandy Guryan spoke of the increase in the birth to kindergarten
ratio and the number who go into kindergarten being higher. She does not know the answer to the question
about how many chose public vs. private schools, but there is a survey
currently out in the community asking that question.
Patty Kellogg appreciates the more robust projection method vs. a
conservative one because while they may not see room in the community for
additional multi-unit building, developers may have a different view.
Dori Zaleznik expressed concern that the aggregate can appear pretty
good, but the current method can lose some of the predictive power in the
individual schools. She wondered if they
could apply the linear regression method as a test case to all grades at a
couple of the schools that had large increases.
That way they could review this over the next few years and determine
whether or not they might want to reconsider their methodology.
Sandy Guryan stated that this can be done and she could pull the
information from a couple of schools now and hold that aside as a comparison
for next year. She noted that the report
shows what would have happened if they had used the linear regression going
back to last year and while the numbers were more accurate, it still did not
project the entire enrollment increase.
Dori Zaleznik noted that the projection history shows that in the
fall of ’02 they projected nearly the exact number of students that they
actually have and she wondered if there was something different done in the
methodology that year.
Sandy Guryan agreed that it is worth reviewing.
Susie Heyman commented that they have had a very hot real estate
market over the past several years and wondered if they might be seeing the end
of that trend of turnover in housing. No
matter how good the data, they cannot account for everything that occurs in
society. By taking an aggressive stance
toward projections they might actually level once again. She asked how they determine when to include
new development into the planning.
Sandy Guryan stated that it is done rarely. It has to be a large development and the City
has to have issued the permits so that it is a done deal. They also speak to the developers about their
own statistical data and then determine if it will have an impact on
enrollments.
Reenie Murphy noted that there are several large developments in the
works, although not at the Planning Department stage. She would assume some of them are going to
come to fruition, which will trickle down into the school system.
Sandy Guryan is not suggesting that this is not a possibility, but
she is hesitant to do anything with developments that are only in planning
stages and changing a statistical model with an unknown.
Anne Larner believes it is wise not to make any changes until
something is concrete.
REPORT ON PUBLIC
COMMUNICATION PLAN
Susie Heyman noted that the report is an update and a copy of the
proposed web survey will be provided for feedback.
ACTION ITEMS
REQUEST FOR
RECONSIDERATION OF USER FEES FOR A STEP AHEAD, INC.
Mike Cronin stated that they are recommending a slight adjustment to
the current policy with regard to use of school buildings (USB) fees on the
rental of the
Anne Larner asked about a rental that might be less than five hours.
Mike Cronin stated that evening rentals can be less than five hours. He also noted that this fee does not include
the air-conditioning component, which is still up for discussion, but only
includes the facility.
Dori Zaleznik asked for a reminder of why they originally put in the
time limits.
Mike Cronin replied that the $1,000 fee was typical of what some
other communities were doing. Camps
often run from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 or 2:00 and some until 5:00. They were gearing this toward the notion that
they would still be able to rent to some of the adult programs at night that
they haven’t been able to allow in the past because space was not
available. There are other renters in the
community interested in the facility.
Dori Zaleznik does not understand why they do not just charge an
hourly fee.
Mike Cronin replied that it is more cumbersome and costly because it
costs more than $100 to have the facility up and running and that can then get
into “nickel-and-diming".
Nancy Levine added that the policy was set to address what it costs
to run the building. If there were plans
to revisit this decision, she would suggest it be done from a policy standpoint
vs. individual requests for waivers or changes.
There is minimum custodial set-up and clean-up rates on both ends of the
activity that is more than $100.
Unfortunately they were not able to do the annual review of the USB fees
this past fall because of other priorities on the agendas. Interestingly there is more information since
this policy was set that some other communities charge even more.
Susie Heyman asked if
Mike Cronin stated he believes it will include
Susie Hyman wants to be sure that this space be a community resource
and obviously they need more information before taking a vote.
Anne Larner asked when they can anticipate the review of USB fees.
Mike Cronin replied that it could be docketed for soon after the New
Year and would be in sufficient time to respond to this particular request.
It was decided not to vote on this tonight and to wait to discuss
the report on the USB fees.
VOTE TO ACCEPT
DONATIONS
MOTION: It was moved to accept the donation of a
clarinet
and oboe (value $1,000) from Richard and Mindy Berg,
to Memorial-Spaulding Elementary School, as outlined
in the 12/01/05 memorandum.
(Levine
– Hyman)
8 – 0 – 1
Absent
for vote: Mayor Cohen
MOTION: It was moved to accept the donation of a wooden bench (value
$1,200) in honor of Robert Frost, previous teacher, coach and principal of
Bigelow Middle School, from a group of former staff and students who organized
a fundraiser for this purpose, as outlined in the 11/29/05 memorandum.
(Murphy
– Levine)
8 – 0 – 1
Absent
for vote: Mayor Cohen
VOTE TO ACCEPT GRANT
MOTION: It was moved to accept the grant totaling
$25,000
(Goldman Sachs Foundation Prize for
Excellence in International Education), as outlined in the memorandum
of 12/07/05.
(Levine
– Zaleznik)
8 – 0 – 1
Absent
for vote: Mayor Cohen
COMMUNICATIONS
None.
PUBLIC COMMENT
There were no members of the public who
wished to address the Committee at this time.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 10:15 p.m.