OPEN SESSION
SHARON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
School Committee Meeting
Administration Building
One School Street
Sharon, MA 02067
Present: Mr.
Glenn Allen, Mr. Mitchell Blaustein, Ms. Linda Callan, Mr. Donald Gilligan, Mr.
Sam Liao and Ms. Alison Rutley
Also present for the
Open Session meeting: Dr. Claire
Jackson, Dr. Barbara Dunham, Mr. Jose Libano, High School Principal, Michael
Garber, High School student, Mr. John Marcus, Cottage Street School Principal,
Ms. Dale Boyle, teacher at Cottage Street School, Mrs. Lisa Lamore, Heights
Elementary School Principal, Mr. Richard Cushing, Heights Elementary Assistant
Principal and members of the community
Mr. Gilligan called the
Open Session meeting to order at 6:40 p.m.
Mr. Gilligan, on behalf
of the Administration and School Committee, introduced and congratulated Tanya
Perkins, Mock Trial Advisor as well as the Mock Trial students, who
successfully represented the State of Massachusetts at the Mock Trial Finals in
Dallas, Texas. Sharons Team placed seventh in the nation, an incredible,
commendable feat. In order for Sharon to make it to Dallas, they had to
successfully compete against 120 teams and defeating Salem High School for the
State Championship. Many thanks to Michael Tuteur, Esq., Jack Mikes, Esq.,
Steve Rosenthal, Esq., and Michael Kuppersmith who unselfishly volunteered
their time to help prepare the team for competitions throughout the year.
Students who represented
Sharon at the Mock Trial Nationals:
Jenna Weinstein
Josh Block
Ethan Richman
Dominique Mann
Rachae Piltch-Loeb
Dana Weinstein
David Tuteur
Faisal Khan
Sam Rittenberg
Josh Bernard
Dr. Jackson commended Ms.
Perkins, mock team members and community volunteers for the time and effort
they have given to the Mock Trial and for being wonderful representatives of
Sharon High School and the Sharon community.
Executive Session was
convened at 6:54 p.m.
Open Session ended at
6:54 p.m. to reopen at close of Executive Session
Open Session was convened
at 7:55 p.m.
Mr. Gilligan, on behalf
of the School Committee and the Administration, thanked the entire community of
Sharon for their support of the override. He acknowledged that the override
would not have passed without the hard work of many individuals –
parents, staff, and community.
CONDUCT
REORGANIZATION/ELECTION OF OFFICERS FOR SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Introduce New School
Committee Members
Mr. Gilligan introduced
and congratulated Alison Rutley first time, newly elected School Committee
member and Linda Callan, re-elected School Committee member.
Nomination and
Election of Officers
Mr. Gilligan explained
that it is the policy of the School Committee to have a reorganization of
officers on the first meeting after Town elections and opened the floor for
nominations for Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary.
MOTION: (Allen/Blaustein) Moved to nominate Sam Liao for
the position of Chair of the School Committee for 2007-2008 school year. Vote
was six in the affirmative.
Mr. Liao expressed his
thanks to the Committee for the privilege of serving as Chair. Mr. Gilligan
stepped down as Chair and Mr. Liao assumed the position of Chair for the
duration of the meeting.
MOTION: (Callan/Gilligan) Moved to nominate Mitch
Blaustein for the position of Vice Chair of the School Committee for the 2007-2008
school year. Vote was six in the affirmative.
MOTION: (Rutley/Gilligan) Moved to nominate Glenn Allen
for the position of Secretary of the School Committee for the 2007-2008 school
year. Vote was six in the affirmative.
Subcommittee
Assignments
Mr. Liao distributed a
list of subcommittees and requested members to review and e-mail him as to
which subcommittees they would serve on as a representative of the School
Committee. Mr. Liao will compile the list and distribute an updated version at
the May 30th meeting.
MASC Workshop(s)
Mr. Liao will be
scheduling a one-day workshop for newly elected members as well as for members
who have not attended a MASC workshop, which reviews the responsibilities of
administration and members. Members were asked to e-mail Mr. Liao with their
date preferences.
School Committee &
Superintendent Goals for 2007-2008
Mr. Liao asked the
Committee to review the 2006-2007 document and note was goals needs to be
modified, added, deleted, etc. The meeting/workshop to formulate the 2007-2008
goals document will be in June. The final, approved goals will be distributed
to staff at the beginning of the school year.
ADMINISTRATIVE/REGULAR
ITEMS
Correspondence
Mr. Allen highlighted a
letter received from parents of an Alternative School kindergarten student
expressing their desire to have Alternative School kindergarten students remain
in its current configuration.
Approve Minutes
MOTION: (Gilligan/Blaustein) Moved to approve the
Executive and Open Session minutes from the May 2, 2007 meeting as drafted and
submitted. Vote was four in the affirmative. Sam Liao and Alison. Rutley
abstained.
Student Representative
Lior Haas, Student
Representative, was not present. Jose Libano, High School Principal, updated
the Committee on the happenings at the High School:
Students attended a
Community Service Learning Conference at Holy Cross College
Students attended a
Model UN Conference at Northeastern University
Representatives from
the Anti-Defamation League presented 4 assemblies on April 25th to
the entire student body
Prom and graduation
activities are progressing
Students are taking P
exams
Students are taking
MCAS exams
Sports are half way
through their season
Announcements
Dr. Jackson expressed her
gratitude to the Sharon community for their support of the override. Dr.
Jackson congratulated Jennifer Levye and Aria Anavi for being selected as
winners of a National Merit Scholarship.
SUPERINTENDENTS
ITEMS
Discuss End-of-Year
Net School Spending/Audit
This item was deferred
until the May 30th meeting.
High School Graduation
– Ceremony and Invitations
Graduation will be held
on June 3rd at 4:00 p.m. present School Committee members, former
School Committee members as well as members of the Board of Selectmen have been
invited.
Present/Discuss High
School Student Handbook for 2007-2008
Mr. Libano
reviewed/highlighted the proposed Parent/Student Handbook for the 2007-2008
school year. The document has been fully vetted by the faculty, students and
parents. Dr. Jackson stated that the recommendation from the Coordinated
Program Review to change language referencing harassment to harassment and/or discrimination,
which this document reflects. Dr. Jackson asked the Committee to vote approval
of the handbook as presented by Mr. Libano and Michael Garber, School Council
student representative. There was a Q&A between the members and Mr. Libano.
As some members had not fully reviewed the proposed handbook, the vote was
postponed until a subsequent meeting.
DECISION ITEMS
School Improvement
Plans: Cottage Street Elementary School
Mr. John Marcus, Cottage
Street Principal and Dale Boyle, SPED teacher and member of the School Council,
presented/highlighted the Cottage Street School Improvement Pan for 2007-2008
and reviewed the accomplishments/goals from 2006-2007. Much information for
last year and projections for next year were obtained from a student/parent
survey. The goal for 2007-2008 is to increase the number of respondents to the
survey.
Dr. Jackson commended Mr.
Marcus for developing the template and sharing it with his colleagues so that
the School Committee goal of uniform, succinct and quantifiable results has
been met. Dr. Jackson recommended that the Committee approve the Cottage Street
School Improvement Plan as submitted by Mr. Marcus and Ms. Boyle
MOTION: (Blaustein/Callan) Moved to approve the School
Improvement Plan for the Cottage Street School to the extent that it does not
require an appropriation from the Committee and what is set forth does not have
a binding effect on the operating budget. Vote was six in the affirmative.
School Improvement
Plans: Heights Elementary School
Lisa Lamore, Heights
Elementary Principal and Richard Cushing, Assistant Principal, presented the
Heights Elementary School Improvement Plan and Goals for 2007-2008. Highlighted
benchmarks/goals included: ELA writing consultant who worked with staff to
improve student writing samples; mural development beautification through the
building; plans for additional playground equipment that will benefit the
school as well as the Sharon community. Following the presentation, there was a
Q&A with the Committee.
Dr. Jackson recommended
that the Committee approve the Heights Elementary School Improvement Plan as
submitted by Mrs. Lamore and Mr. Cushing.
MOTION: (Blaustein/Rutley) Moved to approve the School
Improvement Plan for the Heights Elementary School to the extent that it does
not require an appropriation from the Committee and what is set forth does not
have a binding effect on the operating budget. Vote was six in the
affirmative.
Vote Out-of-State
Trip: Roger Williams Zoo
Dr. Jackson recommended
that the Committee vote approval for two field trips to Roger Williams Zoo in
Rhode Island:
1) For the Middle School
students in order to study endangered species
2) For East Elementary
School students for a Grade 1 science project
MOTION: (Blaustein/Allen) Moved that the Committee approve
the out-of-state field trips to the Roger Williams Zoo in Rhode Island as
recommended by Dr. Jackson. Vote was six in the affirmative.
Vote Out-of-State
Trips: France, Spain, and Italy
Dr. Jackson outlined the
proposed trips to France, Spain and Italy. The trips to France and Italy would
be in conjunction with a Boston-based student ravel company that provides
superior educational experiences. Patricia Mulcahy, Foreign Language
Coordinator, organized the trip to Spain. The trips would take place over the
April vacation, 2008. Dr. Jackson explained that a vote by the Committee allows
the plans to go forward and can be reconsidered, if needed, at a future date.
Should the world climate change and the School Department felt it would be too
dangerous for students to travel, the trips would be cancelled. Dr. Jackson
recommended the Committee vote approval of the proposed trips as presented.
MOTION: (Gilligan/Rutley) Moved to approve the trips to
France, Spain and Italy as outlined/presented by Dr. Jackson. Vote was five
in the affirmative. Mr. Blaustein opposed.
Vote Cell Phone Policy
Vote on the policy was deferred
to a subsequent meeting in order for updated language to be incorporated into
the policy.
Vote 70/30 Health Plan
for New Employees
Dr. Dunham reviewed her
May 11, 2007 memo regarding non-affiliated personnel and health insurance and
requested the Committee to vote on language referencing the change in health
insurance eligibility.
MOTION: (Blaustein/Allen) Moved that all non-affiliated
employees, newly employed by the Sharon Public schools (or the Town of Sharon)
who are eligible for health insurance or who become eligible for health
insurance, will be eligible for the new 7030-10 HMO health plan which is paid
for at a 70% rate by the Town of Sharon and 30% by the employee. For these new
employees, the 80%/20% HMO rate is no longer available. Vote was six in the
affirmative.
Discuss/Vote School
Committee Budget FY 08
Dr. Dunham said that the
Town Meeting voted approval of an operational budget in the amount
$32,420,581.00. The Committee will formally vote the budget at a subsequent
meeting in the amount reflected at Town Meeting.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
TBD as Other Business
items that may arise
OTHER BUSINESS
Mr. Liao informed the
Committee that the School Department would be submitting to the Board of
Selectmen the Statement of Interest for the Sharon Middle School for a vote.
When the Board of Selectmen takes a vote, Mr. Liao will proceed with filing a
Statement of Interest to the School Building Authority.
Mr. Blaustein requested
that the time to enter into Executive Session be changed to 6:40 p.m., thus
allowing members traveling from Boston to be on time for the start of the
meetings. His suggestion was taken under advisement.
Mr. Blaustein asked the
Committee to consider revision of a School Committee Policy regarding procedure
for dedicating names to buildings.
Dr. Jackson asked that
all correspondence for the School Committee be submitted by Friday, thus
allowing the inclusion of the correspondence in the School Committee packets
that are delivered to members on the Friday afternoon preceding the meeting.
Dr. Jackson requested the
Committee to take a pro-formal vote on the policy for homeless students.
MOTION: (Gilligan/Liao) Moved that the School Committee
adopt (File JFABD) the Homeless Students Rights and Policy as presented by Dr.
Dunham. Vote was six in the affirmative.
Dr. Dunham presented a
brief over-view of the METCO bid process and bid outcome. One bid was submitted
though bids were mailed to five companies. Dr. Dunham has verified the bid
specifications and requested that the Committee vote approval of the METCO bid
to Michael J. Connolly & Sons, Inc.
MOTION: (Gilligan/Blaustein) Moved to approve the
three-year METCO bus contract to Michael J. Connolly & Sons. as recommended
by Dr. Dunham.
Vote was six in the
affirmative.
Mr. Blaustein asked if
there was a member of the Sharon Advocate present. There was no member of the press present.
The next meeting will be
May 30th.
There being no further
business to come before the Committee, the Chair asked for a motion to adjourn.
MOTION: (Gilligan/Callan) Moved to adjourn Open Session. Vote
was six in the affirmative.
Open Session was
adjourned at 10:15 p.m.
Submitted on behalf of
the School Committee by: Helen Campanario, Recording Secretary to the
School Committee