MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING, JANUARY
9, 2006
PRESENT: Chairperson Dori Zaleznik,
Vice-Chairperson Marc Laredo, Gail Glick, Susan Heyman, Anne Larner, Reenie
Murphy, Claire Sokoloff, Jonathan Yeo, Mayor David Cohen, Superintendent
Jeffrey Young, Charlie Heidlage – student representative –
ABSENT: student
representative –
OPEN SESSION
MOTION: At 6:15
p.m., it was moved, by roll call vote,
to
convene in executive session for the purpose
of discussing matters related to
collective
bargaining. If passed, the Committee will
reconvene in open session at 7:30
p.m.
(Larner
- Yeo)
8 – 0 – 1
Absent:
Mayor Cohen
Roll call vote by ward:
Ward l, “yes” (Glick); Ward ll,
“yes” (Murphy); Ward lll, “yes” (Larner); Ward lV, “yes” (Yeo); Ward V, “yes”
(Heyman); Ward Vl, “yes” (Sokoloff); Ward Vll, “yes” (
CALL TO ORDER
Chairperson Dori Zaleznik called the meeting to order at 7:45 p.m.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Andy Gluck, Bigelow Middle School PTO Copresident and past Underwood Elementary School Copresident, wished to provide some positive feedback. He thanked Mike Cronin, Chief of Operations,
and his staff, for the cleaning and repairs to Underwood Elementary School;
Principals Todd Harrison and David Castelline, who
weathered some difficult media attention recently and handled the situations
with dignity and class; Martha Holmes and Charlotte Brumit,
for their excellent work with the All City Chorus, which unfortunately is
holding its performance on the same evening as the School Committee’s public
forum this week. Given that he will not
be able to attend this forum, he would like to offer some suggestions. First, he would encourage them to bring back
world languages at the elementary level.
In regards to the Newton North high school project, many people are
talking about the huge cost increase and he would encourage them to “think
outside the box” to address this issue, such as the establishment of a private
model similar to the Newton Schools Foundation to raise funds.
Anatol Zukerman, West Newton, questioned how the Committee can
create academic specifications for Newton North given the huge gap between the
original and newly quoted cost and whether or not they would make this decision
tonight. He also wondered if they would
support revising the hybrid models that were originally on the table.
Jeff Rubin,
Jeff Seideman, President of the Newton
Taxpayers Association, discussed the benefits of the “Sangiolo”
hybrid plan, which has been circulating for about nine months. This plan calls for a new science wing
similar to what is in place at Newton South.
The total square footage of the school after that is added would be
85,000 to 90,000 square feet larger than the proposed new high school and would
retain the swimming pool and indoor track, which would be larger than the track
being proposed in the new building. This
provides an opportunity to move the
Elena Swartz, student representative to the Newton North School
Council, stated that they do not have time to wait while these issues about the
high school are re-debated. The school
obviously was not originally built correctly and is currently falling
apart. While it might be less than 50
years old, it is inadequate to meet the needs of students and staff. Only a new building will assure that they do
not face similar problems years down the road.
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES’
DISCUSSION
Charlie Heidlage talked about a long-time safety issue at the high
school concerning ice on the sidewalks and parking lots and the fact that his
mother recently slipped, broke her elbow and requires surgery and long-term
physical therapy. Several people have
had injuries because of this situation and one teacher broke a leg a couple of
years ago. The area is usually salted
right after a storm but it remains slippery days after that and salt is not
reapplied.
Mike Cronin explained that the parking lots are sanded, salted and
plowed by the Department of Public Works and the sidewalks and pathways are
typically done by the Parks & Recreation Dept. Custodians will often address specific
problem areas when notified by reapplying an extra application of salt in
needed areas. They also do a daily check
of the property, but with a school the size of North they have to rely on
people to provide feedback as well.
Dori Zaleznik wondered if it would be possible to develop a
monitoring plan.
Jeff Young stated that given the history of incidents at this
school, and this particular unfortunate incident, he will ask Mike to discuss
this with the Commissioners of Public Works and Parks & Recreation.
RECOGNITIONS
Newton North teachers Anne Dannenberg (science) and Emilio Mazzola (world language) were recognized for being nominated as recipients of the Outstanding Teacher
Award by the College of the University of Chicago, where incoming freshmen are
asked to identify teachers who have greatly influenced and challenged them and
made a contribution to their academic and personal growth.
APPROVAL
OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
MOTION: It
was moved to approve the School Committee
executive
session meeting minutes of 11/7/05,
special
public forum of 11/9/05, and regular
meeting
minutes of 11/14/05.
(Larner
– Murphy)
unanimous
ACTION
ITEMS
FURTHER
DISCUSSION/VOTE ON
Dori Zaleznik provided a brief history of this subject and
noted that tonight they will be further discussing the program recommendations
for
Jeff Young summarized the materials in tonight’s
packet. The latest spreadsheet on the
program incorporates several adjustments.
They have broken down the 16 science lab classrooms of 1,200 square feet
even more precisely and four of those will be dedicated to chemistry (at 1,300
square fee) to address safety factors.
There has been a lot of discussion about the number of laps to the mile
on the indoor track. The current track
at North has 11.8 laps and the original spreadsheet called for 15. Concerns were expressed about sufficient room
for straight-aways, infield space and other safety and functioning factors,
resulting in their changing their thinking to 12. Further investigation showed that there were
compelling reasons to reduce that even further to 11, which means the number is
smaller but the actual track is larger.
If the Committee wishes to go back to the 12 lap decision, as a matter
of comparison the 12 lap track will save 3,243 square feet and the 15 lap track
5,792 square feet. The Committee should
have some discussion about this tonight.
He would have personally opted for the 11 lap track because safety was
coming into play, although that was prior to seeing the cost estimates. However, it is his job to present the best
educational specifications for the students and if others believe it is too
costly they will make appropriate changes to the specifications. The library has gone through a number of
permutations throughout this project and began with 12,600 square feet in the
original ed specs. After discussion
among staff and the design team, that number was reduced to 10,350. Upon further review of the enrollment
projects and reflection about program, they are recommending 12,450 square
feet. One correction to tonight’s material
is in the number of hub rooms, which are the components of the technology
system. That number should be 10 vs. 4,
which is in line with Newton South’s, and in what they expect to need for the
size of this building. In the Career & Technology area, the 25,000 square
feet listed as cosmetology is not necessarily dedicated to that program at this
time, but is to be thought of more as a reserve space until a final decision is
made. The final piece he wished to mention,
which is simply a typographical error, is that in the notes about the pool the
seating of 50 should be 200.
Anne Larner asked how an 11 vs. 15 lap track impacts the
program.
Don Walter, Project Manager, Dore
& Whittier Architects, Inc., stated that they are able to fit all field
events in the smaller 15 lap track.
Charlie Heidlage noted that track and field is one of the
most popular sports at North. Gymnastic uses the area simultaneously, as does
the swim team after practice for their “dry” space. It can be a very congested space and the more
distance that can be put between these groups the better for safety reasons.
Susie Heyman noted that even though the total square footage
has not changed drastically since the original specs, this process has been
very educational and informative and will result in a quality facility. Now they need to move forward to bring the
educational program to the community and figure out the next steps. She thanked the several members of the Board
of Aldermen for attending this evening.
Marc Laredo is pleased with the end result of this process,
as they move toward a vote on providing ed specs to meet the needs of the
students and the community. The funding
will now be a separate issue. He is
comfortable with the Superintendent’s recommendation and appreciates the hard
work that has resulted in a document of which he believes they can be very
proud.
Dori Zaleznik noted that at one point they discussed the
possibility that the difference between the net and gross square footage for
the track area might not be the same as for classroom spaces, but it appears
they are using the same 1.41 multiplier.
Don Walter noted
that in order to be consistent in developing the educational program, they have
kept the multiplier factor the same, although when they actually design the
building they may find that, depending on how other program spaces are
oriented, they can make this smaller.
Dori Zaleznik commented that this means there are still
possibilities for tightening. She asked
if they could have a recap on the explanation of the increased costs and how
closely this will be followed as the process continues.
Rob Juusola, Project Manager, Turner Construction,
highlighted the points made by the cost estimator in his analysis. The construction industry has experienced
historical volatility and increases since 2003, with the initial catalyst being
the rise in steel prices due to market demand from
Dori Zaleznik noted this last statement is an important
piece because what may now be based on a worst-case scenario could shift over
time, so the bottom line costs are not a static number.
Rob Juusola stated that generally an architect will conduct
three estimates – one at the end of the schematic design, one at the end of
design development, and one at the end of construction documents. What they are proposing to do on this project
is a cost management, where they will keep the cost estimator on board
throughout the entire process, in order to monitor costs and make adjustments
more frequently so that things do not come as a surprise. This is why the report indicates a cost of
between $137-$160 million, as the escalation factor is the unknown. They will be able to make this more precise
the further along they get.
Mayor Cohen noted that by voting the ed specs the Committee
is moving the process beyond the first phase and it will now be up to him
working with the Board of Aldermen to come up with a price for the project that
everyone can support. In his opinion,
the proposal of a new school is the most cost effective, although the citizens
of
MOTION: It was moved to approve the Newton North High
School Revised Educational Specifications, for a total square footage of
399,140.
(
unanimous
Dori Zaleznik mentioned that the Board of
Aldermen will meet this Wednesday to begin the discussions about the various
financing elements of this project and plans to meet again on 1/25th,
in conjunction with the School Committee, for further discussions. The Design Review Committee will hold its
first meeting this Thursday, 7:00 p.m., in the Newton North library.
Reenie Murphy added that the Newton North
Neighborhood Association meeting is scheduled to meet on 1/19, 7:00 p.m.,
Newton North, as the first in a series of meetings.
Nick Parnell, Building Commissioner, stated
that a mailing re: the schedule was sent to the neighbors and is available on
the City’s website, in addition to other pertinent information regarding the
project.
VOTE
TO APPROVE DONATIONS
MOTION: It was moved to approve a donation of $200 from the Bowes/Alves
family, to be used to purchase instructional materials to support the writing
program at
(Glick
– Larner)
8 – 0 – 1
Absent for
vote: Mayor Cohen
VOTE TO APPROVE GRANT
MOTION: It was moved to
accept the grant totaling $1,500
(Special
Education: Electronic Portfolios for MCAS
Alternate
Assessment).
(Heyman –
Murphy)
8 – 0 – 1
Absent for vote: Mayor Cohen
REPORTS
SUPERINTENDENT’S PERSONNEL REPORT
There were
no questions on this report.
FY06 BUDGET UPDATE
Jeff Young
noted that each month they have been reporting on a projected surplus of
approximately $25,000. However, the
issue of the volatility of the utilities accounts has been raised each time as
well. In working closely with the City
to assess what the rate increases were going to be, the bad news has finally
arrived -- an $880,000 shortfall (43% increase) compared to last year. This is solely a function of rates and not
consumption. Tonight they need to
discuss how they plan to handle this deficit.
It is hoped that they will see some relief from City reserves to help
offset this amount, but it is likely they are going to be faced with taking
some management steps to close this gap.
Mayor
David Cohen stated that he had set aside $400,000 for this purpose for both the
city and school departments to be shared in the usual 70% school/30% city
split. The increases are much greater
than anyone had anticipated. He would suggest
a meeting be set up to discuss this further and develop a plan for how they
will address this issue.
Marc
Laredo mentioned that there seems to be a lot of variations among schools in
terms of utility costs.
Mike
Cronin stated that the age of the boilers is one factor that determines the
efficiency ratings. The variable speed
driver (VSD) motors, which are employed at Newton South and in a few other
places in the City, allow them to modulate, but most motors are not equipped
with this ability. Therefore, they are
putting out more amperage and burning more fuel than they should. If they can begin to replace some of the old
motors with these VSD models they will end up using less electricity and heat. In addition, there is the issue of the
schools with one vs. two pane windows, which are not good insulators.
Marc
Laredo noted that as they conduct their study of the facilities, they need to
keep in mind that the way to realize a cost savings would be to spend money
upfront to save in the long run. He
asked about any possible conservation methods that might be taken in the
schools.
Mike
Cronin noted that all the systems are now on timers and the heat is turned down
in the classrooms at 3:00 p.m., except for spaces that will be occupied for
aftercare activities. However, some
buildings are used throughout the evening and require that the heat remain at
the higher degree. People are informed
to turn off lights when leaving their rooms for the day. On the weekends the heat is shut down to
night mode unless temperatures require otherwise so that pipes do not freeze.
Anne
Larner expressed concern that by just folding the electricity piece into the
facilities study it will get postponed and would prefer some short-term
planning. When comparing the efficiencies
of the buildings they appear to be all over the board.
Jeff Young
noted that he has requested that Mike prepare a report on what it would cost to
address the heating issues in the school.
There is no doubt the dollars will be more than what they have, but he
is hopeful that it will be a start and the Committee can then muster the
support necessary to move forward.
Anne
Larner stated that the electricity appears to be more of a financial issue than
the heating and some of the buildings seem out of proportion to others of
comparable size. While some of it can be
explained by usage, in others cases that is not true.
Mike
Cronin mentioned the energy audit at
successful,
it will provide a model for how to address other buildings. He agrees that some of the spikes at certain
buildings do not make sense. Certainly
it is understandable in the larger ones and where buildings are air-conditioned
and used more frequently, but there are other buildings that require further
investigation of the data.
Susie
Heyman agrees with the need to try to get some short-term plans in place to
address situations that could provide efficiencies while they work on the
long-term study.
Reenie
Murphy asked how much the system funded toward the energy audit.
Mike
Cronin replied that their share was approximately half the total cost of
$20,000.
Dori
Zaleznik asked about the notion of freezing accounts.
Jeff Young
stated that he would like to have further discussion with the Mayor and will be
prepared to discuss this at the next meeting.
OPERATIONS STATUS REPORT
Mike Cronin reported that charter maintenance has a balance
of approximately $230,000, so they are anticipating a tight situation from now
until the end of the school year. They
are beginning to address work orders from a prioritizing standpoint around
health, safety and emergencies.
Jonathan Yeo asked about the hold on the roof for
Mike Cronin replied that the weather has not been
cooperative, so they have temporarily patched the roof and, at the contractor’s
recommendation, are waiting for warmer weather to do the replacement.
Reenie Murphy asked the same question about Ward.
Mike Cronin noted that the bid came back high and they have
been working with the executive office to reconfigure the initial budget for
the three boilers to put the additional overage toward the Ward boiler. It appears that they can do this with the
allocated funds. The finances are in
place now but the boiler has yet to be purchased. He hopes to have it in place before the end
of the heating season.
Marc Laredo asked that he inquire of the appropriate people
as to whether there is any way to speed up this process.
Heidi Black, Administrator of High School Construction &
Strategic Planning, announced that the connector is finally open at Newton
South and everyone is remarking on what a pleasure it is to be able to travel
across the campus without having to go outside.
Some punch list items were completed over vacation and they anticipate
doing more over February vacation because it is a lot easier for the contractors
to work without people in the building.
Most of the problem areas with the roof have been permanently patched,
but there are still some outstanding issues to be addressed.
Susie Heyman asked if they can have an update at a future
meeting on the commissioning project, as well as when they can expect to see
the remaining furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) items in place.
Heidi Black responded that the commissioning project is
approximately half complete and corrective action has already been taken in
many of the identified areas. Following
this week’s meeting with the commissioning agent she will be happy to prepare
an interim report. As far as the
FF&E items, this has been an ongoing conversation that she believes is now
being addressed at the City’s executive office.
SPECIAL
EDUCATION UPDATE
Margie Daniels, Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Services,
stated that this month’s special education (SPED) report shows a decrease in
contracted services. She also mentioned
that they are working with the Education Collaborative (EDCO) to build programs
that will be cost-effective in the delivery of services to SPED students rather
than placing them in more expensive private placements. They are doing this by looking at the
commonalities of students among the districts.
In addition, EDCO is working on obtaining some comparative data among
the districts, which is proving to be a daunting task, but one which will
eventually be very helpful.
CLASS SIZE
REPORT
Sandra Guryan, Assistant Superintendent of Business, Finance
& Planning, provided an overview of the Class Size Report. FY06 average class size increased at the
elementary level from 20.3 to 20.6. The
middle schools improved slightly with a decrease from 21.5 to 21.1 and high
schools saw and increase from 21.7 to 21.8.
She then provided a several year history of average class/team size at
each level, as well as the distribution of classes under and over 25 students
over the past three years. She also
included a comparison of the two high schools due to the number of questions
raised this year about staffing allocations at that level. The average class size at North remained the
same as last year at 21.3 and increased slightly at South from 21.3 to
22.5. However, in terms of the number of
classes with less than 20 students, North went from 32% to 30% while South went
from 25% to 23%. The classes with
greater than 25 students at North went from 25% to 24% and at South from 36% to
34%. In developing the FY07 budget they
are working with the principals, department heads and Central Staff with these
statistics on a “checks-and-balances” program to ensure that greater equity
exists between the two high schools.
Jeff Young added that they should have been able to do
better in the area of equalizing classes greater than 25 at the high schools
but were unsuccessful in that effort.
They are committed to the system of closer scrutiny that
Sandy Guryan added that Newton North’s projected enrollments
were almost exact, while Newton South had 34 students more than projected. While it does not explain the entire reason
for the differences between the two it is a factor.
Anne Larner noted that the broad statistics do not show the
problems with individual cohorts and the experiences of a lot of students in
curriculum 1 and honors courses who are in many large classes. While high school students can tolerate
larger classes than younger children, there are limits and she believes they
are pushing the envelope. She does not
debate the wisdom of having students in curriculum 2 in smaller classes, but
they have to keep their eye on the other end of the spectrum.
Jeff Young asked if the high school principals could address
the impact of these larger classes.
Brenda Keegan, Acting Principal of Newton South, noted that
they make a concerted effort to limit the sizes of curriculum 2 classes, but
they look very carefully at those under 20 students. The rationale for keeping them smaller is
because the students need more individual attention. However, there are also concerns about the
large classes at the honors level, especially around safety in science
labs. They were able to obtain an
additional 1.0 FTE which helped reduce class sizes in a few areas. Another issue around large classes is that
they do not have the flexibility to move students around as they had in the
past.
Jennifer Huntington, Principal of Newton North, echoed
Brenda’s comments. At Newton North there
are no curriculum 2 students in the 25 to 30 range in any of the five major
subjects, which represents a deliberate philosophical stance. In addition to the safety issues involved in
larger lab classes that Brenda mentioned, there is also the concern of teachers
being more reluctant to assign major papers to a large group of students, which
has an educational impact.
Brenda Keegan added that, as the demographics change to
accommodate the redistricting of high school students, another important
component around equalizing the schools is the type of supports that are
currently in place at North but not at South.
Some examples are the additional tutoring programs for the Massachusetts
Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam, the writing center being staffed
with aides, and programs for struggling students such as Network. Equity in these areas will be another
important component to consider.
Judith Malone Neville, Assistant Superintendent of Schools,
talked about the middle schools, as they work toward reviewing and assessing
the programs at all four schools in an attempt to have a more cohesive program
while retaining the individual uniqueness of each building. Staff are prepared to answer any questions
people
may have in this area.
She mentioned that three principals are present this evening. Hank van
Putten, Principal of Oak Hill Middle School, could not make it due to a death
in the family.
Jeff Young asked if the principals could address the areas
in which they are proud of their accomplishments as well as those where they
face challenges.
Gina Healy, Principal of Day Middle School, expressed
concern about the three-person team model, which has resulted in staff teaching
out of their area of expertise. This has
had an impact on the delivery and content of the curriculum. She is also concerned with successive cuts
over the years that have resulted in increased class sizes in the arts and
world language classes, which they feel are very important components of a
well-rounded education.
John Jordan, Principal of Brown Middle School, noted that
team numbers are favorable this year in part because of a decrease in
enrollment. However, the concerns remain
about different team models requiring teachers to teach outside of their
expertise, which tends to impact a particular cohort throughout their middle
school experience vs. a specific grade.
Retaining a rich curriculum is also an important factor of the middle
school model.
Todd Harrison, Principal of Bigelow Middle School, stated
that they have been able to do better this year in terms of lowering class
sizes, especially in the area of math, but he agreed that students are
short-changed when teachers are covering subjects in which they may not be
certified, trained or passionate.
Marc Laredo looks forward to a future discussion regarding
the middle school program, as he would like to hear more about the pros and
cons of the team model, which contributes to class size issues and the matter
of staff teaching out of their subject area.
He is also interested in the non-core subjects and wondered if moving
toward more standardization might help alleviate some of these issues.
Jeff Young noted that they have been having these
discussions and will have more to say about this subject at the interactive
forum regarding the budget process this Wednesday evening.
Dori Zaleznik asked for clarification about teachers
teaching outside their main area of expertise, as to whether or not they are
certified in that area.
Judy Malone Neville replied that many teachers are certified
in more than one area, but for some teams everyone is teaching a common subject
and they may not all be primarily certified in that field.
Paul Stein, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources,
added that teachers can teach 20% of their load outside their area of
certification, but still need to be highly qualified according to the No Child
Left Behind (NCLB) law by meeting certain requirements. Two person teams are often covered by
teachers with dual certification, so the real issue lies in the three-person
teams.
Jeff Young commented that it is ironic that by federal
government standards a teacher can be considered highly qualified without
certification. At this point, he moved
the discussion to the elementary level and asked if the Williams and Zervas
principals could talk about the combination classrooms that are in place in
their schools this year.
Christine Moynihan, Principal of Williams, stated that they
chose to go with a combination grade 1-2 class model this year because of the
numbers. They have capped this class at
18 and have had great success to date. There are inherent challenges in terms of the
curriculum and scheduling, but with proper planning and the right teacher it
has worked well. Combination classes
work better in the lower primary grades and she would even be willing to
experiment with grades 2 and 3.
Steve Griffin, Principal of Zervas, talked about the K-1
combination class at his school. Parents, students and the teacher are all
happy with the model. The teacher is
very experienced and it is becoming a sought after class for next year and they
hope to retain it for the foreseeable future.
Having the same teacher two years in a row has a lot of advantages,
where students get to be better known to the teacher and they have the
opportunity to take on leadership roles within the classroom in the second
year. In addition to it being a way to
address a budgetary issue, it can also be good for philosophical reasons.
Dori Zaleznik commented that the system used to have a
number of combination classrooms, but had moved away from that model because of
the standards based curriculum making it more difficult.
Steve Griffin responded that it is easier with the younger
grades to reach all the standards, although at higher grade levels that would
be more difficult. It requires a certain
type of teacher and some faith on the part of parents but it can work very
well.
Christine Moynihan added that at her school the grade two
students in the combination class receive science and social studies with the
other second grades, so they retain connections with their counterparts. On Thursday afternoons the teacher has opted
to have the first graders remain with her to participate in the afternoon
program with the other first grade classes and the second graders participate
in the afternoon program with the other grade two students.
Emily Ostrower, Principal of Countryside, talked about the
growth in the 3rd and 4th grade classes at her school,
with 52 children moving in over the summer that clustered at this level. The large classes have posed a challenge for
teachers in differentiating instruction without added support. In addition, many of the children came with a
variety of needs and Individual Educational Plans (IEPs).
Pat Kelly, Principal of Bowen, also spoke about their
experience and challenges with large classes in 4th grade. Fortunately this cohort has not experienced
this on a consistent basis and they also have two very highly qualified aides,
both of whom are certified teachers and one who has taught at this level. They have looked at service delivery in
different ways and are experimenting with the learning center and literacy
teachers going into the classes so that at that point during the day there are
four teachers in one class.
Reenie Murphy asked if families are still moving into the
system.
Pat Kelly stated that they had 10 new registers on
Wednesday.
Jonathan Yeo asked about any problems with cohorts having
experienced large classes for successive years.
Judy Malone Neville replied that they review these issues
and try to avoid these situations whenever possible, but at times there are
unforeseen circumstances where it occurs.
Jonathan Yeo asked how they dealt with the move-ins without
any reserve teachers.
Judy Malone Neville replied that the times have forced them
to become more creative, for which she commends the principals and staff. They have utilized support positions as one
way to make this work.
Anne Larner experienced firsthand one of these large classes
when she participated in the Teacher for a Day program last fall. She was exceedingly impressed by the teacher
who, without the type of supports one would like in place in these situations,
managed the students with a wide range of abilities and did an excellent job.
Emily Ostrower agreed that the staff make it work, but it
still takes its toll and she does not believe they can continue to ask teachers
to function in this manner year after year, as they will eventually lose some
of their best talent.
FIVE-YEAR
FORECAST
Dori
Zaleznik announced that the Five-Year Forecast report has been moved to the
next meeting. There is a subcommittee of
the School Committee working with the Business & Finance office around
taking the very thorough document that has been prepared and reshaping its
presentation in an attempt to make it a more user friendly document for
everyone to understand.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
DISCUSSION OF FY07 BUDGET
Dori
Zaleznik noted that the purpose of this agenda item is to begin to talk about a
bottom line for the budget, in order to give the Superintendent direction to
begin his work. Tonight’s discussion, in
conjunction with the Five-Year Forecast, should allow them to be able to set
this number by the next meeting. Anne
Larner prepared a spreadsheet to help the Committee with their
discussions. The Mayor’s allocation to
the schools translates into 70% of the City’s revenue projections
($4,679,512).
Anne
Larner noted that these numbers are usually extremely conservative this early
in the year, when they do not know yet what to anticipate from the State. There are no projected increases for Chapter
70 funds and only a small amount from lottery aid. There seems to be a groundswell of support
and pressure for increased funding for education this year, so she feels these
numbers are low. From her best estimate
of history, past data, and current information from various groups regarding
the economy, she would be comfortable recommending they give the Superintendent
a target of $500,000 - $600,000 above the allocation and then request the
Superintendent to provide information on what he would do with increments above
that amount.
Susie
Heyman thinks that Anne’s suggestion makes good sense given the concerted
efforts and rallies in many communities around need for increased funding for
education.
Dori
Zaleznik wished to express caution that if they go above the Mayor’s allocation
even with what they feel are fairly conservative projections, the likelihood is
that the budget is still going to fall short of anything that they view as
being a good situation and they will still be “treading water.”
Anne
Larner agreed and stated that this will be more obvious at the next meeting
when they review in detail the Five-Year Forecast. Any monies they are discussing will not even
cover base increases when they are experiencing escalations of 43% in utilities
and the possibility of a seventh year of double digit increases in health
insurance.
Reenie
Murphy would also like to move forward cautiously because many community
service agencies have suffered losses over the past several years and they will
all be competing for limited dollars.
COMMUNICATIONS
Anne Larner announced that the legislative forum for EDCO
will be held on April 7th and will focus on long-range financing
strategy working with the Massachusetts Municipal Association.
Reenie Murphy reminded people to watch for the soon to be
released Newton Public Schools website survey, which will be open for public
input for three weeks.
PUBLIC
COMMENT
Cheryl Turgel, President of the Newton Teachers Association,
wanted to echo some of the comments expressed this evening by principals about
the impact on teachers of large class sizes.
The teaching staff in
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 10:10 p.m.