MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING, FEBRUARY
13, 2006
PRESENT: Chairperson Dori Zaleznik, Vice-Chairperson
Marc Laredo, Gail Glick, Susan Heyman, Reenie Murphy, Claire Sokoloff, Jonathan
Yeo, Mayor David Cohen, Superintendent Jeffrey Young
ABSENT: Anne Larner, student representatives
OPEN SESSION
MOTION: At 7:07
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.
(Heyman
- Murphy)
7
– 0 – 2
Absent for meeting: Larner
Absent for
executive session: Mayor Cohen
Roll call vote by ward:
Ward l, “yes” (Glick); Ward ll, “yes” (Murphy); Ward
lll, absent for meeting (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 7:40 p.m.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Ana Zarina Asuaje Salon,
Amy Lederer Shapiro, Mason-Rice parent, also
urged the administration and Committee to support a 19th classroom
at their school next year. While her
daughter’s teacher deserves the highest praise, there is only so much attention
she can provide to the students in a large class, which is noisy and
crowded. The principal attempted to
mitigate the problem by having literacy specialists, social workers, and aides
come into the classroom for various blocks of time, but for some students like her
daughter this was even more disruptive.
They are dramatically over the systemwide goal for class size. While the size of the kindergarten classes
may have increased due to unanticipated summer move-ins, they know what next
year’s first grade is going to look like and can address this issue ahead of
time. First grade is a very critical
year and the system must have a strategy in place to address this problem.
David Miller, Ward Elementary School PTO liaison
to the School Committee, expressed concern that the math curriculum is not
meeting the individual needs of children.
The K-8 math coordinator presented an overview of the curriculum at
their PTO meeting and acknowledged that the issues parents raised were
legitimate and not a phenomenon limited to
STUDENT
REPRESENTATIVES’ DISCUSSION
None.
RECOGNITIONS
Lisa
McKinney, culinary arts teacher, and her students were recognized for the
chocolate cake prepared and presented at the Rotary Club’s “Death by Chocolate”
fundraiser at the Sheraton Hotel. This
was a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase the product of their learning,
as well as an excellent community service experience.
APPROVAL OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
MOTION: It was moved to approve
the School Committee
regular
meeting minutes of 11/28 and 12/12/05
and executive session meeting minutes of
12/12/05.
(Heyman
– Glick)
8 – 0 – 1
Absent: Larner
REPORTS
FY06 BUDGET
UPDATE/DEFICIT REDUCTION PLAN
Superintendent Jeffrey Young mentioned that
Sandra Guryan, Assistant Superintendent for Business, Finance & Planning,
was delayed at the airport due to weather conditions and is not available for
tonight’s meeting. If Committee members
have any questions with regard to the FY06 Budget Update he requested they
forward those directly to
Dori Zaleznik mentioned that if they do nothing
in terms of addressing freezing the supplies accounts and allow purchasing to
move forward there is no chance of recovering that money. However, if the projections are off and there
are more funds than anticipated they can put back into this area.
Susie Heyman believes they need to at least
take the first level of cuts, but that the third would have dire consequences
on the system.
Gail Glick agrees. The third level is particularly troubling
because it impacts personnel and, thereby, direct services to students.
Reenie Murphy is fairly comfortable supporting the
first level of cuts, but wants to be assured that what is left is adequate for
the schools to get through the rest of the year, so that PTOs/parents are not
burdened with financing supplies for the classroom.
Jeff Young shares these concerns, but cannot
make any guaranties.
Susie Heyman commented that the Assistant
Superintendent for Business, Finance & Planning, has always been flexible
in previous years when freezes have had to be instituted. If a compelling need were to come forward she
has in the past met those needs. Also,
people have gotten familiar with these freezes and most schools now spend their
money earlier in the year anticipating this possibility.
Jeff Young agreed that the Assistant
Superintendent is afforded some flexibility in this process in terms of
managing the freeze on a case-by-case basis, where necessary, to the extent
possible.
Dori Zaleznik asked if there is any information
yet on the energy audits as a potential source of saving some money.
Michael Cronin, Chief of Operations, stated
that the results of the energy audit on
Dori Zaleznik mentioned that they should do
whatever they can to realize even the smallest of savings, whether it be
turning down the temperature by one degree or making sure lights are shut off,
etc.
Mike Cronin responded that they have already
been attempting to conserve energy wherever possible.
MOTION: It
was moved to approve Levels I & II of the
Deficit
Reduction Plan, for a total of $300,000,
as
outlined on the 2/13/06 Utilities Shortfall
Reduction
Plan sheet.
(Heyman
– Glick)
Discussion:
Claire Sokoloff expressed some concern about
the amount of cuts in instructional supplies at Level II and wondered about a
possible tradeoff with some of the substitute teacher account in Level
III. She understands the desire not to
impact staffing, but if it were just the cancellation of a class at the high
school level it might not be as detrimental as going so deep into the supplies
area.
Jeff Young suggested that the Committee vote a
bottom line this evening and allow the administration time to review the
specifics so that they can refine the list to address these types of
suggestions.
Marc Laredo believes that is a good
approach. He shares the concerns of not
wanting PTOs to become responsible for purchasing supplies even though he
realizes that is a risk they will be taking in making these cuts.
Dori Zaleznik mentioned the hope that there may
be some additional savings resulting from left over snow removal funds if the
winter continues to be mild and perhaps they can make up some of this
shortfall.
Mayor Cohen commented that this increase in
utilities cost is totally beyond the control of the City or school
department. It seems reasonable that
they not take the full level of cuts in the deficit reduction plan in anticipation
of some additional free cash.
Vote on motion to
approve levels I and II of the deficit reduction plan, with the understanding
that the administration will review the areas under each level so as to have
the least impact on staffing and necessary supplies for the classroom:
8
– 0 – 1
Absent:
Larner
DISCUSSION ITEMS
REVIEW OF FY06
CHANGES TO AIDES
Dori Zaleznik noted that this is one of a
series of discussions the Committee requested to better prepare for budget
deliberations. At the last meeting they
reviewed the impact of the cuts on professional development and tonight’s
discussion will focus on the impact of the cuts in aides. At the next meeting they will discuss the
impact of the cuts on elementary librarians.
Jeff Young stated that 26.3 aides were reduced
systemwide last year, most of them in the area of special education.
Judith Malone Neville, Assistant Superintendent
of Schools, talked about how difficult these decisions were because most of the
aides in the system are highly qualified professionals. Many have advanced degrees and all are
dedicated to the children. The system
relies on their flexibility, as they are often used in a variety of functions
and they help reduce the adult to student ratio in the classrooms. This process has forced them to look at doing
business in a different way on a daily basis in the schools. The reductions have made a difference in the
deployment of aides, who are now not only filling in for teachers, but also covering
for one another because there are no substitutes when aides are absent. They have had particular trouble with
coverage during the elementary lunch program, so they often have to fill in
that spot as well, taking them away from their regular assignments. Principals are feeling stretched quite thin.
Reenie Murphy asked if the qualifications for
regular and special education aides differ.
Judy Malone Neville replied that the
qualifications are the same except that the special education aides may be
required to have specialized training depending upon where they are assigned
and that is provided by the inclusion facilitators in-house.
Gail Glick asked about changes in the role of
special education aides who may have been assigned to one student in the past.
Mark Springer, Principal of Mason-Rice
Elementary School, stated that aides that have been assigned to a student have
not been removed. However, as new
Independent Evaluation Plans (IEPs) are written, often they are sharing the
aide with more than one student. They
are combining the inclusion facilitator and learning center teachers to work
with the same students, so they are basically marshalling all of the resources
available.
Patricia Kelly, Principal of Bowen Elementary
School, stated that at her school the special education aide is assigned to two
children and goes between classrooms.
They also utilize the inclusion facilitator and literacy
specialist. Everyone is shifting around
to provide the necessary services.
Eva Thompson, Principal of Peirce Elementary
School, talked about the shifting of aide services throughout the course of the
year as needs change and the importance of flexibility in this approach.
Marc Laredo asked how they compare to other
school systems in the use and number of aides.
Judy Malone Neville stated that
Marc Laredo suggested they attempt to provide
this information for upcoming budget discussions. He would like to know how services are being
delivered compared to peer communities beyond just the utilization of aides.
Dori Zaleznik noted that obviously the
principals are making the best of a difficult situation and being creative in
deploying forces in new ways. It appears
that the actual number of aides cut is fewer than the original intention and it
might be helpful to understand that better.
Jeff Young mentioned that individual needs of
students and people moving into the system change the picture. This is student vs. organizationally driven.
Dori Zaleznik commented that it did not appear
that all situations were specifically related to special education needs, but
that regular building aides were added as well.
Eva Thompson mentioned that she added a
half-time aide to be shared between two large classes.
Pat Kelly had a similar situation and mentioned
that 10 new students arrived unexpectedly the day after vacation. One student was having difficulty adjusting
and she had to reshuffle the aides in order to provide this child with some
assistance. They are constantly moving
people around to cover various places, including giving the office secretary an
opportunity to take a lunch break. Coming
up soon is the kindergarten registration, where aide coverage will be very
important.
Mark Springer explained that he uses half of
his one building aide position as a special needs aide, so that is a half person
less to do all the responsibilities that a building aide normally would handle.
Judy Malone Neville added that at one point
they were able to provide slightly more full-time equivalencies (FTEs) in
building aides to the larger schools, but have not been able to follow that
practice because of budgetary constraints.
They were fortunate this year to be able to restore some aide positions
with grant funding, which might explain some of the difference between the
original intention and the actual outcome.
Overall they have come very close to meeting their target cuts.
Pat Kelly mentioned that in the past aides had
more times to plan with teachers and take over some of the lessons. Now aides often have to travel with the class
as they go to music or the library, which has impacted on how they can deliver
services.
Jonathan Yeo mentioned that the eight
additional aides at the pre-school level may play a part in the equation. He has heard from a lot of concerned parents
about this situation, particularly those with children on IEPs, as to whether
their children are receiving appropriate coverage. Aides help prevent students from being
districted out and are a cost savings to the system, as well as many being
highly qualified people who may eventually want to become teachers in the
schools.
Reenie Murphy stated that the Committee has
been hearing about staffing issues throughout the year in their school
visits. More students are coming into
the system with greater disabilities and people are working hard to meet their
needs, but it seems that it is becoming increasingly difficult.
Eva Thompson replied that there are days when
it is difficult because there are some students who cannot be left unattended
and if an aide is absent other staff must be shuffled around for coverage.
Claire Sokoloff commented that this is not an
optimal situation and they are not in optimal times. She asked how they see the future with
another difficult budget ahead and what concerns they might like to express.
Mark Springer is most worried about the
inclusion program faltering from its current structure, as this is the program
of which he is most proud.
Eva Thompson echoed this statement because
inclusion facilitators support students across the school.
Pat Kelly also feels that this is one of the
most important areas to protect because if they lose momentum in this program
it will end up costing the system even more.
Marc Laredo asked about grants supplementing
some of the support and if there are concerns about this because they are not
renewable every year.
Judy Malone Neville stated that grant funding
allows the system to have some more flexibility in the regular budget. They are not funding aides off one-time
grants, but off those that are received on a regular basis that come with more
of an increase than anticipated. She mentioned
METCO as an example and is hopeful that the grant will be funded this year at least
at the same rate.
SUPERINTENDENT’S
PERSONNEL REPORT
There were no questions on the report.
OPERATIONS STATUS
REPORT
Jeff Young noted that if they followed the
guidelines of having charter maintenance be 2% of the previous year’s budget,
they should have $2.6 million for this area, while they are actually only
spending approximately $1.6 million.
This gap widens each year because they are level-funding the
account. It is evident simply by looking
at the buildings. They do their best
with available funds, but they are forced to prioritize items by safety, health
and emergencies first. They were able to
make headway the one year that the override was passed, but the gap has widened
in this area just as it has in so many others.
Marc Laredo asked about the status of the Ward
boiler.
Mike Cronin stated that the Board of Aldermen
approved this appropriation and it is now in the standard 20-day required
waiting period for the bidding appeal process.
They have begun the prep work to get the space ready and he is confident
it will be in place within the expected three months timeframe.
Marc Laredo asked if they have seen any energy
savings from the replacement boiler at Bowen.
Mike Cronin responded that the boiler has only
been on line for three weeks. To date
they have not seen the energy savings, but he has no doubt that they will and
he will provide that information to the Committee.
Reenie Murphy asked about the status of the
windows for Peirce.
Mike Cronin replied that they have been ordered
and are being manufactured.
Reenie Murphy asked about the status of the
online lunch ordering.
Mike Cronin stated that this is being tested in
two schools so that they can work out any bugs before making it a systemwide
process. They hope to have it up and
running by April.
Dori Zaleznik mentioned that bringing in chefs
at Newton North seems to be quite a popular event.
Mike Cronin agreed that this is working out
well. Local community restaurants are
participating by working with staff to offer some enticing menu items. The students have commented very positively
and they are planning to do a similar program at Newton South.
Dori Zaleznik mentioned that she had received a
few calls about lack of food for the third lunch at
Mike Cronin noted that this is the first he has
heard about this and will follow-up.
Jeff Young mentioned that the punch list items
on the
Dori Zaleznik announced that the School
Committee will be meeting with the Board of Aldermen on 2/15, as a follow up to
questions that were raised at their discussion on 1/25. This will be another non-participatory but
public meeting.
Clare Sokoloff asked if they could review the
punch list items and when they will be prioritized.
Mike Cronin will be happy to provide the list
electronically to any Committee member who is interested. They continue to work with the contractors
and the Law Department to finalize, prioritize, and distribute to the vendors
the punch list items. They plan to do a
lot of work over February vacation, especially on the commissioning and will
even be opening the building on the holiday for this purpose. In addition, the plumbers, electricians and
HVAC workers will all be in place.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
UPDATE
Jeff Young noted that the monthly report is
status quo. The aides remain constant
from last month. He pointed out that
out-of-district placements are being reported slightly different from this
point forward, in order to align with the Department of Education (DOE)
reporting.
REPORT ON PRIVATE
SCHOOL ENROLLMENT
Jeff Young noted that this annual report shows
the number of students who reside in
REPORT ON
Carolyn Wyatt, Assistant Superintendent for
Curriculum & Instruction, began by stating that
Carol Palmer, Data & Assessment Specialist,
talked about the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and noted that
Marc Laredo noted that one of the recommended
interventions is to change the 5th grade math curriculum and
textbooks and he wondered if that was designed specifically to help
under-performing students or all children.
Mary Eich, K-8 Mathematics Coordinator, stated
that the interventions are designed to help all students. It will provide a more continuous experience
K-5 and will also help with the transition to middle schools. It will be especially helpful to students
struggling with math, as it will provide consistent vocabulary and components
throughout their elementary experience and will provide more opportunity for
teachers to collaborate across the K-5 program.
Susie Heyman asked about their thoughts around
the 8th grade scores.
Carolyn Wyatt stated that they have been
wrestling with this problem and feel that they have made some success in the
multi-layered approaches they have taken.
There is no single strategy or textbook to solve the issue. National research indicates that best
practices involve smaller tutorials and support that focuses on specific skill
development. These practices have proven
successful at the high school and the goal now is to be more proactive at the
earlier grades. Some principals have
begun this in their buildings with extra support before, during, and after
school. A consistent curriculum is also
very important.
Mary Eich noted that they are in year two of
implementing the change in the middle school program in order to be consistent
across the four schools. She has spent a
great deal of time this fall working with the mathematics staff at this level
reviewing the items on the MCAS exams where students are having trouble and
discussion around what might be causing the problems. One hypothesis is that reading comprehension
plays a very important part in terms of students being able to interpret the
questions. They have also identified a
change in the use of more formal language in the 8th grade. They are looking at a series of small things
that they anticipate will be helpful in the larger picture.
Carolyn Wyatt noted that the theory of reading
comprehension impacting the math scores that Mary mentioned is borne out by the
analysis. The work the system has done
with the literacy initiative show that students are better able to explain
themselves in mathematics in their writing.
However, the comprehension piece has to do with the way questions are
phrased and the language that is used and is an issue they are addressing.
Reenie Murphy asked if the tests continue to
change in both content and grade level and if they feel they have sufficient
time to review and address all the materials.
Mary Eich noted that additional tests are being
added, so this year children will have exams in grades 3 through 8, which will
add another layer of analysis. They have
been fairly consistent in the areas of numbers, operations, patterns, and
algebra, but less so in the areas of geometry, measurement, and data analysis. The open response questions add a lot of
points and the questions constantly change.
Depending on the specific question asked and points associated with that
question, it can appear that they are not doing well in a particular area in a
given year when, in fact, overall they may be doing very well.
Carolyn Wyatt mentioned that this is where job
imbedded professional development comes into play. Teachers look at how students are performing
in a structured environment and where they need additional support. The new way of teaching and learning involves
a lot of data and assessment, which will inform instruction in detailed ways
around student performance.
Dori Zaleznik reiterated that it would be
helpful to look at the same students over a period of time when measuring
achievement. The way they currently view
the material does not relate to the same set of children, so it is difficult to
determine how particular subgroups are doing.
Carolyn Wyatt stated that they have this
longitudinal information and will be happy to share it, but noted that given its
complexity they did not prepare slides on that for this evening’s discussion. These other statistics mirror what they have
been showing this evening. It is also
important to note that the threshold score on each test has increased over the
years, so that it takes more correct responses to reach proficiency
levels.
Jonathan Yeo asked if they work with other
communities in comparing information and utilizing strategies for improvement.
Carolyn Wyatt replied in the affirmative and
mentioned their work with the Education Collaborative (EDCO) in this area.
ACTION ITEMS
VOTE TO ACCEPT
DONATION
MOTION: It was moved to accept the donation of $500.00 to Kim Glaser’s
preschool classroom, as outlined in the 1/23/06
memorandum.
(Murphy
– Yeo)
8 – 0 – 1
Absent: Larner
VOTE TO APPROVE GRANT
MOTION: It was moved to accept the grant totaling $136,000 (Greek Studies), as
outlined in the memorandum of 2/7/06.
(Heyman
– Glick)
8 – 0 – 1
Absent: Larner
VOTE TO APPOINT SCHOOL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVE TO DESIGN
REVIEW COMMITTEE
Dori
Zaleznik noted the resignation of Lisa Monahan as one of the School Committee’s
representatives to the Design Review Committee.
Nick Parnell, Building Commission, has requested that the Committee
select an architect. Two candidates are
willing to fill this position: Ellen Light – an architect who has served on the
Newton North High School Task Force, and Neil Hodes, a project manager.
Committee
members noted that these are two very good candidates and that it is a
difficult choice. Some members preferred
the project manager background, while others indicated that the Building
Commissioner had requested an architect.
It was noted that Ms. Light has had background on the Newton North
project in her role on the Task Force and one Committee member mentioned that
it would be nice to replace the loss of one woman with another. It was mentioned that whichever candidate was
selected it would be beneficial for the Design Review Committee to have the
other person serve as a non-voting or alternate member if the Committee wished
to create such an option and the person would then be available if other
positions arise on the Committee.
MOTION: It was moved to appoint Ellen Light as a
School
Committee representative to the
Design
Review Committee.
(Yeo – Heyman)
5 – 2 – 1
Opposed: Glick,
Absent: Larner
Motion Passes
COMMUNICATIONS
Reenie
Murphy mentioned that the Committee has formally visited
PUBLIC COMMENT
There were
no members of the public who wished to address the Committee at this time.
ADJOURNMENT
The
meeting adjourned at 9:50 p.m.