NEWTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE
MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING, APRIL 10, 2006
EDUCATION CENTER, FRAZIER ROOM, 7:30 P.M.
PRESENT: Chairperson Dori Zaleznik, Vice-Chairperson
Marc Laredo, Gail Glick, Susan Heyman, Anne Larner, Reenie Murphy, Claire Sokoloff, Jonathan Yeo, Mayor
David Cohen
ABSENT: Superintendent Jeffrey
Young, student representatives
CALL TO ORDER
Chairperson Dori Zaleznik called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m.
PUBLIC
COMMENT
Peter Mahoney, Mason-Rice Elementary School parent,
talked about the need to progress with the project for a lift at
Mason-Rice. He spoke about the difficulty
his daughter and others who use wheelchairs experience in trying to maneuver
throughout the building. The only way to
reach the second floor is by going outside and up a series of very steep
sidewalks, which is quite dangerous in inclement weather. To reach the library they have to be pushed
through the boiler room. There are many
people with mobility issues aside from the students who have the same issues of
access to the school.
STUDENT
REPRESENTATIVES’ DISCUSSION
None.
RECOGNITIONS
The following recognitions were acknowledged:
·
The Daytime newspaper for receiving its 6th consecutive Gold
Crown at the 82nd annual conference of the Columbia Scholastic Press
Association at Columbia University and for the following staff who delivered
presentations at the conference: Eliana Eskinazi,
Co-editor-in-Chief
Seth Simons, Co-editor-in-Chief, Sam Shames, Layout
Editor, Melissa Anderson, Photography Editor, Matt Gault,
Business Manager, Sam Birch, Webmaster
·
Daniel Werb, Newton North High
School, and Elizabeth Herman, Newton South High School, for being named
Honorable Mention Awardees by the
National Foundation for the Advancement in the
Arts: 2006 Arts Recognition and Talent
Search.
·
The following students who were selected by audition to
participate in the 2006 Music All-State Festival offered by the Massachusetts
Music Education Association:
Newton North Newton
South
Anne
Tsao Amanda
Garces
Erica
Horowitz Fisher
Aaron
Chloe
O’Connell Ernest
Moy
Daniel
Werb Xander Jarowey
Han
Park
Sarah
Sklar
Kristina
Eldrenkamp
Samantha
McDonald
Jennine Dearolf
·
The following students who were selected by audition to
participate in the 2006 Northeast District Senior Music Festival offered by the
Massachusetts Music Education Association:
Newton North Newton
South
Ian Duncan Brown Amanda
Garces
Aviva Rosman Fisher
Aaron
Dan Werb Ernest
Moy
Agatha Babbit
Xander Jarowey
Chloe O’Connell Han
Park
Anne Tsao Sarah
Sklar
Kristina Eldrenkamp
Samantha McDonald
Jennine Dearolf
Hilary Baker-Jennings
Blair Carroll
Richard Lee
Alex Chaloff
Stephanie Newton
Varun Ramadurai
Jessica Rucinski
David Webber
·
The following students who were selected by audition to
participate in the 2006 Northeast District Junior Music Festival offered by the
Massachusetts Music Education Association:
Bigelow Middle School Brown
Middle School
Linda Bard Cassie Chin
Paul Batchelor Gregory Sharp
Bobby Chen Karina
Berenbaum
CC Holm Roxy
Glazier
Nikolai Klebanov Susannah Glickman
Matt Ma Melanie Rucinski
Michael Sherman Charlotte Sall
Campbell Rogers
Day Middle School Taryn
Valley
Lucia Joseph
Sherrie Deng Oak Hill Middle
School
Newton North High School Taichi Fukumura
Patrick Alves Daniel Zhang
Newton South High School
Jennifer Lee
Alex Pergament
Margo Seiden
Rachel Wong
Jie-Yoon Yang
Jonah David
Max Pava
Madeline Sall
Liza Ziering
·
The following students for their achievements in the 2006
Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards program:
Bigelow Middle School Brown Middle School
Adele Levine Natalie
Basque
Dru McInerney Won
Yong
Day
Middle School Oak
Hill Middle School
Elizabeth Altieri Rebecca
Kantar
Julia Belamerich Yoav Kaplan
Jared Forman Julius
Parker
Emma Halwitz Cora
Visnick
Madeline Johnson
Maia Levoy
Newton
North High School Newton
South High School
Jessica Alpert Rebecca
Baumwoll
Jennifer Bakan Vanessa
Friedman
Newton North (cont.) Newton South (cont.)
Rachel Corey Mark
Giglio
Allison Egdahl Anat Goldberg
Elizabeth Gargas Elizabeth
Herman
Rachel Kaufmann Michael
Keselman
Lyuda Kovalchuke Benjamin
Keyser
Rosa McElheny Nicole
Lewis
Eleanor McSherry Marie
Otsuka
Marco Planine-Troiani Ben
Sieff
Kathryn Roberts Yuan
Yao
Rebecca Schaffer
Elizabeth Shreir
Leah Weisman
Sara Winik
Ashley Young
·
Lisa Mikus, 4th grade
teacher, Horace Mann Elementary School, for her participation in the
Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Massachusetts Winter Conference in
January, where she presented “Exploring
Geometry Through Interactive, Hands-on Experience.”
·
Richard Reid, social studies teacher, Newton North High
School, for being awarded the 2006 “Honor Our Own” winner by the Massachusetts
Teachers Association.
APPROVAL
OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
MOTION: It was moved to approve the School Committee
executive
session meeting minutes of 2/6/06, 2/8/06,
2/13/06,
and 2/15/06, and regular meeting minutes
of 2/13/06.
(Heyman – Yeo)
unanimous
DISCUSSION
ITEMS
FURTHER
DISCUSSION OF ENERGY AUDIT RESULTS
Michael Cronin, Chief of Operations, introduced Gary
Epstein and John Seryak of ERS, the consultants who
did the audits and who are happy to answer any questions about their report.
Marc Laredo asked if they could discuss the scope of
their work.
Gary Epstein began by mentioning that ERS has worked
on approximately 200 public school facilities in this State alone. A comprehensive assessment of energy
opportunities was conducted at Day Middle School. Engineers who special in this field spent
several days at the facility and generated a report that shows where the system
can achieve cost savings. Given that
this audit was in-depth they are very confident in the numbers and return on
investment (ROI). The costs are
conservative numbers, so there is a likelihood to generate even more
savings. A scoping study was then conducted
of the other buildings, which is a cursory look at what opportunities might
exist in those facilities as well. While
they are confident that savings can be generated in these areas, it would take
a more detailed study to fine-tune these numbers.
Marc Laredo asked about the timeframe for the other
identified projects.
Gary Epstein replied that they are prepared to start
immediately on the retro-commissioning at Newton North, which involves
replacing motors, electrical equipment, and the software management system, and
could have that completed in four to six weeks.
They would commence with the replacement of failed steam traps during
the next heating season.
Mayor Cohen asked if any additional studies need to
be conducted on the motors in the HVAC system.
Mike Cronin stated that districtwide
they do not have the same level of detail as at North.
John Seryak added that the
work itself could be completed in a couple of weeks but if they want to qualify
for NStar reimbursements it requires a qualification process,
which could take a couple of months.
Mayor Cohen asked if the motors are needed for the
cooling systems as well as the heating system.
Mike Cronin replied in the affirmative.
Mayor Cohen commented that time is of the essence if
this is the case since they would need to address this by air-conditioning
season.
John Seryak noted that the
magnitude of savings that would be achieved at Newton North in two to three
years would be nearly equivalent to what can be saved at all the other
buildings combined over a number of years.
Even though the building is scheduled for replacement, this is the place
where they will get the most for their money in a short timeframe. Moving ahead with the master efficiency plan
for a more in-depth study of the rest of the facilities is also a high
priority. A cursory look can only
provide a guestimate and the details are necessary to
make the best decisions. In addition, if
they seek utility incentives, the utility companies will require specific
energy savings calculations.
Anne Larner asked how the
retro-commissioning of North fits into the master energy efficiency plan.
John Seryak stated that
every day that North is running under its current status is money
out-of-pocket, so they would suggest that be the first priority. The remaining items can be looked at in a districtwide fashion with recommended priorities.
Jonathan Yeo asked which
utilities are offering the best incentives, which could help in the
decision-making process around prioritization.
Gary Epstein stated that NStar
offers the best incentives for some of the capital projects, such as motors and
lighting, which Newton has already taken advantage of in some cases. Traditionally the oil and gas incentives have
not been very substantial, although trends indicate that there will be
increased incentives from gas.
Dori Zaleznik
asked what they would need to do in order to see savings this year.
John Seryak reiterated that
Newton North would be the place to focus for immediate savings over the
summer. The broader measures that
require more detailed study, as well as capital allotment and possible bidding,
would not see savings until at least the next fiscal year.
Dori Zaleznik
commented that North’s system has been rebuilt several times and some people
find it troubling that it is still not managed to operate efficiently. She asked what new knowledge base they were
bringing in that will change this and why they have not been able to do this
previously.
John Seryak replied that a
redesigned system is not necessarily going to run efficiently if there are no
quality checks and controls, so their ideas are not necessarily new, as much as
making sure what is supposed to be happening is actually happening. Currently the system runs practically the
same way 24 hours a day as opposed to changing at night. It would behoove them to have an independent
analysis after the work is complete to make sure all systems are running
properly, which they could do at a minimal cost.
Marc Laredo asked how quickly they could receive rebates
from the utility companies.
Gary Epstein replied that it usually takes a few
months.
Dori Zaleznik
asked if the costs on the report include the rebates.
Mike Cronin replied that the quoted costs are before
rebates but have to be paid upfront.
Mayor Cohen mentioned that they have done a number of
projects in the City where they have received NStar
rebates and it has been a fairly quick turnaround.
John Seryak added a piece
of information he felt was important. In
their report for the computerized management system for Day, they did not
include replacing the pneumatic air lines method of communication, which is
what is currently being used. This would
be very costly and would only achieve incremental savings. However, if this building will be around for
another 15-30 years and they do retrofits or overhauls during that timeframe that
might be a good time to replace them with an electronic system, which is more
reliable and has less maintenance costs.
Mayor Cohen mentioned that the City underestimated
the number of employees and retirees for which they would be paying health
insurance and, therefore, have ample reserve (approximately $500,000) for the
schools. That money can be expended by
the School Committee without further appropriation by the Board of
Aldermen.
Committee members expressed an interest in giving
this some further thought and discussion and balancing it with other needs in
the system.
The Mayor replied that it is the Committee’s decision
to do whatever they wish with the funds, but he would not recommend using it as
a reserve for next year’s operating budget because it is a one-time savings
that should not be built into the base.
DISCUSSION
OF CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN (CIP)
Dori Zaleznik
inquired of the Mayor about the school’s allocation for CIP funding.
Mayor Cohen stated that at this point he is prepared
to provide the $150,000 that was just discussed with regard to energy savings,
along with $5,000 - $6,000 left over in free cash. They have yet to receive the bill for the
underground oil leaks at Cabot and Horace Mann Elementary Schools, which also
has to come out of this account.
Susie Hyman asked about the ’07 bonded projects.
Mayor Cohen stated that this would be the same as
last year at $100,000.
Dori Zaleznik
asked if they would be able to complete the CIP list with FY07 bonding funds if
they were to take out the sixth item on the list (energy conservation measures)
and pay for that elsewhere.
Mike Cronin stated that he needs additional
information from the City to answer this with more conviction, but it will be
close. It will be important to
prioritize the list because it is possible that last item may have to be
bumped.
Anne Larner mentioned that
last year they worked with the City to do some creative cash flow payback in
order to take advantage of the summer period when schools are unoccupied and
wondered if they might be able to do something similar this year.
Mayor Cohen stated that as long as the arrangement is
predicated on the bonding occurring sometime in the fiscal year he does not see
any problem with this method, although he would want to check with the bond
counsel and the comptroller.
Marc Laredo asked if ROI is being factored into the
prioritization of these items.
Mike Cronin responded that these projects are a
matter of dire need and there are not short-term ROIs
of 15 years or less involved.
Susie Heyman commented on
the fact that many of these items have languished on CIP lists for years and
are well overdue, such as the windows at Mason-Rice and Zervas,
which will greatly improve the quality of life in those buildings.
Mike Cronin noted that even though these are listed
as separate items the thought is to bid them together to make it less
costly.
Susie Heyman asked when
they need to vote on these projects in order to ensure that they will be
installed by the summer of ‘07.
Mike Cronin stated that they need to have the Request
for Proposal (RFP) out by October 1st, which would mean the architects would need to
start designing in August. He would like
to have the package completed by May.
Anne Larner noted that they
have to be careful with regard to the summer schedule of the Board of Aldermen
and Design Review would also have to be involved.
Reenie Murphy strongly supports prioritizing
the Mason-Rice wheelchair lift and moving it ahead as quickly as possible. She then asked why of all the projects at
Mason-Rice they chose windows over the boiler.
Mike Cronin explained that the windows are well
beyond their useful life, are losing quite a bit of heat, and the opaque panes
make it impossible to see outside. Replacing
the boiler would mean a more efficient unit but the heat will still be going
out the windows. It is more important to
replace the boiler at Horace Mann, which has failed and the one at
Memorial-Spaulding which is not far behind.
Claire Sokoloff wondered
what will be forthcoming after these projects as the next round of priorities.
Mike Cronin stated that he has concerns about a lot
of the boilers in the system, of which many are nearing their life span. They are in pretty good shape with most of
the roofs and window systems after the current ones are addressed. Some brickwork is going to be necessary in a
few locations as well.
Marc Laredo asked about the Bigelow steps.
Mike Cronin stated that they did some patchwork on
one of the staircases at the Education Center about a year ago as a test
measure, which was obtained free from a lottery they won at a convention. This year they purposely over-salted the steps
in order to subject them to as much abuse as possible to test the product and
they held up very well. They plan to do
a flight of stairs at Bigelow with this product to see how it holds up.
Dori Zaleznik
mentioned that the stairs at the Education Center seemed somewhat slippery.
Mike Cronin stated that they can add an extra layer
of grit to address that problem.
Claire Sokoloff asked if
they could prioritize this list for the next meeting. In addition, it would be helpful if they
could break out the energy conservation measures that total $775,000, in an
attempt to determine what they might want to fund with the health insurance
savings money, as well as which items will need to be bonded.
Mike Cronin will be happy to provide this material and
to indicate the items that are time-sensitive.
Anne Larner commented that
some items may not be feasible under the restrictions of the bonding package,
so the ones of a real priority nature they may want to consider other funding
sources.
Mike Cronin stated that he will also have Sandy
Pooler’s analysis for the materials at the next meeting.
ACTION
ITEMS
CONTINUED
DISCUSSION/VOTE ON LEASING OF COMPUTERS
Anne Larner asked how they
are planning for replacing equipment at Newton North and Newton South with only
40 iBooks in reserve for this purpose.
Sandra Guryan, Assistant
Superintendent for Business, Finance & Planning, stated that they will have
to add funds to ensuing budgets to properly address this area.
Fran Zilonis noted that it
is a considerable amount of money to replace the 150 I-books and software at
Newton South and 250 computers at North, as well as printers. They chose to focus in this round on
elementary and middle schools since they have been waiting in the queue for a
long time.
Reenie Murphy asked if they are
planning to lease to buy or to re-lease.
Fran Zilonis stated that it
would be her preference to re-lease but unless she can be assured of consistent
funding then this proposal is to purchase the equipment at the end of the lease. While she would heartily endorse re-leasing,
without a long-term funding plan that is not possible.
Jonathan Yeo asked what the
cost is to purchase at the end of the lease.
Fran Zilonis responded that
it is only $1.00.
Jonathan Yeo commented that
while it means they will probably be keeping computers longer than they should,
they can use the money they would have been using to lease to then address the
needs at the high schools. While it is
not ideal and he agrees that they should be turning over the lease every three
years, it does not seem that is possible given fiscal constraints.
Dori Zaleznik
suggested they attempt to stagger the leases so that everything does not come
due in the same year and there will be some roll-over at the different levels
of the system.
Marc Laredo understands why they have to lease to buy,
but in reality they are financing to purchase and not engaging in a true
lease. The notion of staggering the
leasing is a good one.
Sandy Guryan noted that the
leasing company includes an option on every anniversary period that provides an
opportunity to change the contract.
MOTION: It was moved to proceed with the plans to enter
into the leasing of computers, as outlined in the
memorandum of 4/4/06 to the Superintendent from
Sandra Guryan, Assistant
Superintendent for
Business, Finance & Planning, and Fran Zilonis,
Director of Information Technology.
(Heyman – Larner)
8 – 0 – 1
Absent
for vote: Mayor Cohen
FURTHER
DISCUSSION/VOTE ON USE OF SCHOOL BUILDINGS (USB) FEES
Anne Larner stated that the
USB Subcommittee is bringing their last in a succession of items before the
School Committee this evening for a vote.
As was discussed at the last meeting, there is an issue associated with
summer use of buildings and air-conditioning surcharges. The recent data from the energy audits and
other information has shown that summer usage costs are staggering in some
buildings. Since there is fairly low
summer use by C permit renters the Subcommittee felt it was a good place to
attempt a pilot program around fees, monitor these efforts, and then come back
next year with some assessment and possible suggested fees for all users for
the following year. These fees will
apply to Day Middle School, Newton North and Newton South High Schools. As a mitigating factor, they are proposing
that rates not be applicable to the rental of less than 10 classrooms. In addition, the Subcommittee would like a vote
to provide guidance to the Superintendent to make energy efficient decisions be
an important factor with respect to the assigning of use of space for summer
programs that are school department related.
It was decided to treat these as two separate motions.
MOTION: It was moved to recommend that the energy efficiency
of the facilities be an important factor in
determining placement of summer programs in buildings and, wherever practical,
effort be made to place school department activities in the most energy
efficient appropriate buildings; and to support modest investments (less than
$10,000 per building) that will allow centrally air-conditioned buildings to
maintain air-conditioned offices while unoccupied spaces are at minimal
settings.
(Glick
– Yeo)
8 – 0 – 1
Absent
for vote: Mayor Cohen
MOTION: It was moved to support the recommendations of the USB Subcommittee
to approve the pilot program of air-conditioning surcharges for C permits
effective July 1, 2006, as detailed in the 3/24/06 memorandum; and request
that the Director of Operations, in consultation with
the
USB Subcommittee, report to the School Committee by the
first meeting in November, 2006 the results of the summer 2006 surcharge pilot
program and recommendations on
policy and specific charges for air-conditioning for
FY08 (summer 2007) and beyond.
(Hyman
– Glick)
8 – 0 – 1
Absent
for vote: Mayor Cohen
REPORTS
SUPERINTENDENT’S
PERSONNEL REPORT
There were no questions on the report.
FY06
BUDGET UPDATE
There were no questions on the report.
OPERATIONS
STATUS REPORT
There were no questions on the report.
HIGH
SCHOOL BUILDING PROJECT UPDATE
Susie Heyman stated that it
has come to her attention that the Newton South High School drama organization
has paid to repair a hole in the floor of the stage, which brings up the issue
of the still outstanding furniture, fixtures & equipment (FFE) items on
this project. In addition, there is a rumor
that parents are looking to fix the projector in the auditorium. This is disgraceful and she wishes the Mayor
were still present so that they could discuss what they plan to do about these
situations.
Dori Zaleznik
stated that it is her understanding that there is still some money being held
in reserve to settle potential legal implications around this situation. However, it does not seem right that the
students and staff of Newton South have to wait while impending legal cases are
completed, which could take quite a long time.
Mike Cronin noted that he and Nick Parnell, Building
Commissioner, have been in discussions and plan to do some work over school
vacation. He is authorizing the
expenditure and the Building Commissioner has agreed to pay for the labor for
the faucets and plumbing for the new units in the photography studio. While they plan to do as many of the smaller items
on the punch list as possible, the majority of it sits with the Law Dept.
Dori Zaleznik
asked about the commissioning report from Newton South.
Mike Cronin replied that the information gathering
and identification piece is complete and it is now up to the subcontractors to
implement the required fixes. These are
the same subcontractors that are having trouble with the general contractor
about getting paid, so this may be sitting with the Law Dept. as well.
Dori Zaleznik
mentioned that if they cannot act on this it will result in the same problem
they heard about earlier this evening in the discussions with the energy
consultants about the importance of commissioning. She suggested they need to have a
conversation with the Law Dept. as soon as possible. In the meantime, she requested that some of
the major items in the punch list be highlighted with associated costs so that
they can get an idea of some of the major issues.
Susie Heyman asked them to
include the principal and staff of the school in the discussions to determine
what items are key to the functioning of the school and the program.
Anne Larner mentioned that
the Design Review Committee is meeting tomorrow evening to continue their
discussions around the Newton North High School project. She will forward to Committee members the
traffic study that was just released.
Dori Zaleznik
mentioned that in response to the Design Review Committee’s request for the
School Committee to prioritize the athletic fields, a letter was sent communicating
that they felt it was premature to do this at this time. If, as progress on schematics moves forward, there emerges a need
to cut back on the program, the School Committee would want to reexamine the
educational specifications as a whole along with the designers to analyze
possible cuts or tradeoffs as they relate to the entire program. The athletic fields at Newton North are an
integral part of the educational program during the day and used for a variety
of teams, clubs and intramural programs after school. The fields are also used by community groups
on the weekends and during the summer. The School Committee has been very
consistent in its expressed goal of having all of the fields on the Newton
North site if possible and continues to advance this objective.
SPECIAL
EDUCATION UPDATE
Reenie Murphy asked about the
status of the Education Collaborative (EDCO) study around cost comparisons
among communities.
Margie Daniels, Assistant Superintendent of Special
Education, responded that they have only just begun to tackle this enormous
project, which they hope will eventually result in the ability to report
“apples to apples.” They are beginning to
establish the different categories on which the districts will be reporting.
Anne Larner is also involved
in this collaborative and it is their hope to do enough data collection so that
they can pilot something for next. The
goal is to provide meaningful comparative data so that individual systems are
not spending a lot of time duplicating efforts.
Margie Daniels added that they first have to define
what they are asking for so that it is not prone to misinterpretation and so
that they are truly getting the same data from each system. That is the only way to make meaningful
comparison.
Anne Larner mentioned that
the Director of EDCO has commented that Newton has the most in-depth data
collection of any of the EDCO districts, which is interesting given that they
often find themselves frustrated by the desire for more analysis and
statistics.
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 9:45 p.m.