Minutes
Quincy, Massachusetts - April 4, 2012
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular Meeting
A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday,
March 4, 2012 at the Temporary City Council Chambers in Quincy City Hall.
Present were Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mayor Thomas Koch,
Mrs. Emily Lebo, Mrs. Anne Mahoney, Mr. Dave McCarthy, and Ms. Barbara Isola, Vice Chair.
Vice Chair Presiding
- - -
There was a moment of silence in memory of William Mitchell, general counsel for
the MBTA, who started his professional career as a teacher at the Broad Meadows
Middle School.
- - -
The Superintendent called the roll and all members were present. Also present were:
Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk; Messrs. Draicchio,
Holmes, McGillicuddy, McGuire, Mullaney, Mulvey, Murphy, Rendle, Santoro,
Keith Segalla, Smith, Taglieri, Tully; Dr. Metzler; Ms. Barrett, Mrs. Fay-Beers, Ms.
MacNeil, Mrs. Roberts, Ms. Scanlan, Ms. Stukenborg, Ms. Todd; Ms. Allison Cox,
President, Quincy Education Association; Ms. Tracey Christello, Citywide Parents’
Council Representative; and Ms. Jill Gichuhi, President, Quincy Parent Advisory
Council to Special Education.
- - -
Regular Meeting Minutes Approved
3/21/2012
Mrs. Lebo made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Hubley, to approve the regular
session minutes for March 21, 2012. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Executive Session Minutes Approved
3/21/2012
Mr. McCarthy made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Hubley, to approve the Executive
Session minutes for March 21, 2012. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
- - -
Open Forum
As no one wished to be heard in Open Forum, the Committee went on with the
business at hand.
- - -
Superintendent’s Report
The Superintendent opened his remarks by introducing Executive Director of Career
and Technical Education Keith Segalla. Mr. Segalla introduced Kevin Mullin, the
Career and Technical Education student of the year. Mr. Mullin has a 4.6 GPA, is a
member of the National Honors Society, and ranked fifth in the class of 2012. He is a
member of the Olympic Decathalon, soccer, and baseball teams and has been
accepted to six colleges.
The next students recognized were Skills USA medalists from Quincy High School’s
Career and Technical Education program, introduced by department head Ms. Gina
Scanlan. Skills USA coach/advisor Mr. Edward Holmes spoke of the recent district
conference competition, where twenty-nine students competed in seven categories
and eleven were awarded medals. Gold medalists: Dan Cunningham, Kayla
Neumann, Bryan Stoker, Ben Witunsky; Silver medalists: Lok Fung, Patrick Kelly,
Kyle Lally, Dayna Madeiros, Eoin Moriarty, Tyler Wayne; Bronze medalist: Jason
Barbosa.
Science Fair winners from both high schools were introduced next by the Science
department heads, Ms. Kelly Stukenborg from North Quincy High School and Mr.
Edward Smith from Quincy High School. Each high school had over 140 entries at
their Science Fairs. For North Quincy High School, the winners were: Nisreen AboSido (1st place), Amanda Lee (2nd place), and Sarah Tran (3rd place). For Quincy
High School, the winners were Sarah Ahmed (1st place), Wen Zheng Yu (2nd place),
and Christine Tran (3rd place).
Finally, some of the event winners from the recent Middle School Swimming
Championships were introduced by coach Mr. Robert McGillicuddy. Atlantic:
Katarina Pollattretti, Sara O’Donovan; Broad Meadows: Caitlyn Caggiano, Lauren
Gilmartin, Taylor Routhier; Central: Laina Frazier, Lauren Donovan, Maura Crump,
Declan Mayo, Bryan McMahon; Point Webster: Stephanie Melnick; Sterling: Megi
Macy, Eni Daci, Brendan Hansbury.
At the conclusion of the introductions, Mr. McCarthy stated that these are the best
School Committee meetings, where students are recognized for their academic and
athletic achievements; Quincy has a bright future with these many talented students.
Mrs. Lebo commented that she was looking forward to seeing the middle school
swimmers in their future high school meets. Mrs. Mahoney thanked the teachers and
coaches for all their extra efforts supporting student achievement. Mayor Koch
congratulated all of the students and thanked them for making us proud. Ms. Isola
concluded the remarks by speaking of the many opportunities that Quincy provides
for students in terms of different extracurricular activities to match their interests.
She thanked the parents, principals, department heads, teachers and coaches.
After a brief recess, Dr. DeCristofaro resumed the Superintendent’s Report by noting
the recent success of the High School Robotics team who placed 8th out of 53 teams
at the recent regional competition at Northeastern University. Twenty-eight members
of the HyperRobotics team are traveling to the Nationals in St. Louis during the last
week of April.
The Superintendent then spoke of a $50,000 Title I Commendation Grant for
professional development and technology recently awarded by the Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education due to the successes and best practices at the
Snug Harbor Community School. He thanked Mrs. Roberts, Mrs. Hughes, and Mr.
Gilbert for their work on writing the grant proposal. Dr. DeCristofaro noted that each
School Committee member received a copy of the upcoming Spring Concert dates for
each school. He also mentioned the recent performances of Fiddler on the Roof at
Quincy High School and the work of Mrs. Spencer and her many volunteers in
producing the play.
Other student achievements cited include the recent list of Boston Globe All-Scholastic All-Stars, including Boys’ Basketball team players from North Quincy
High School: Paul Cunniff, Dan Gould, Tim Liuzzo, Marquis McClendon and
Quincy High School: Zerick Fadairo, Tino Goncalves, Jaquan Harris; Girls’
Basketball team players from North Quincy High School: Amber Jones, Maya
Umoren and Quincy High School: Nicole Lamie, Caity Lowry, Kiley McDonald, Juli
Tomer; North Quincy High School Girls’ Track team member Emily Bryson; and
North Quincy High School Wrestling team member Andy Sok.
In concluding, Dr. DeCristofaro talked about the Superintendent’s Summit
Conference that he attended last week in Orlando with sixty superintendents from
around the nation and his appreciation of the opportunity to participate in the
conversations with his peers and hear their different perspectives on issues.
- - -
New Business
Educational Technology Presentation
The Superintendent introduced Mr. Keith Segalla, Executive Director of Information,
Technology, who presented on the district’s Educational Technology initiatives,
along with Database Administrator Robert Cavallo. The Technology Plan is a
component of the District Improvement Plan and follows a structure prescribed by
DESE. The current Technology Plan expires in November, so work will begin
shortly on new plan, which will then be reviewed and ratified by the School
Committee for 2013-2015.
Quincy Public Schools currently has a student to computer ration of 3:1, with just
over 3,000 computers installed in classrooms, in computer labs, or available on
mobile carts. 85% of these computers are 1 to 4 years old and recent acquisitions
include 188 computers for schools, school offices, and Special Education classrooms.
Microsoft Office 2010 has been implemented system-wide, as was Study Island for
Grades 3 through 8. Technology initiatives are supported by the Quincy Public
Schools budget, individual school PTOs, and grants. Recent Professional
Development has included training for software, hardware, and expanding email
usage to the custodial and security staffs.
The Quincy Public Schools Website was relaunched in Fall 2011; there are ongoing
improvements for functionality driven by input from the Education Technology
Team, the Information Technology staff, and feedback from members of the
community. Upgrades are planned for for Staff Academy; the main site’s translation
feature has been enhanced. Community members can follow Quincy Public Schools
on Facebook or Twitter by subscribing directly through their own accounts or by
subscribing to the RSS Feed.
Quincy Public Schools is also upgrading to a new email system being implemented
through the Microsoft Exchange server and all users will have new email addresses:
[email protected]. The new email system can be
accessed anywhere Internet service is available. The transition has been completed
for the NAGE building staff and Quincy High School and North Quincy High School
will be implemented by May 1. All elementary and middle schools will have their
email upgraded during the summer of 2012.
In conclusion, Mr. Segalla thanked the Mayor, the School Committee, the City’s IT
department, the individual school PTOs, and Quincy School-Community Partnership
members for making these technology initiatives and enhancements possible.
During the discussion that followed, Mr. McCarthy requested a breakdown down of
computer types and projected replacement dates. He also complimented the website
upgrades. Mrs. Lebo thanked the Mayor for significant technology boost in previous
years’ budgets. She also inquired about whether any students were credentialed on
Microsoft Word, which they are not at this time.
Mrs. Mahoney asked if the website complied with handicap accessibility and Mr.
Segalla responded that it was; she also suggested looking again at how data can be
extracted from the website to analyze usage. Mrs. Mahoney then asked whether an
enhanced Student Information System that would allow parents to access more
information and comments online has been considered. Mrs. Lebo asked whether the
new release of Starbase might fill this role and requested a presentation on that new
system. Mr. Segalla mentioned the high cost of implementing this new SIS; Mrs.
Mahoney suggested investigating the X2 Aspen software used in some neighboring
towns.
Ms. Isola asked whether there is any way to track how many people use the
translation feature on the website. Mr. Cavallo responded that he would look into it.
She also inquired whether in the course of developing the Technology Plan, was
elementary school technology that relates to curriculum specifically addressed? Mr.
Segalla clarified that this was not in the existing Technology Plan, but will definitely
be a part of the new Technology Plan. She also asked if there were hardware and
software recommendations that could be made to parent groups and inform the QPS
budget process. Ms. Isola ended by suggested a survey to assess student access to
technology. Mr. Segalla agreed and said that teacher needs will be surveyed as well.
- - -
Placement of Textile Bins at Schools
As part of a citywide recycling initiative, Mayor Koch announced a textile recycling.
program where small bins would be placed at each school to collect donated textiles.
Through a partnership with Baystate Textiles, the individual school Parent-Teacher
Organization would receive a share of the pool of money generated from the recycled
textiles.
- - -
Out of State Travel
Mayor Koch made a motion to approve the Out of State Travel of Bernazzani
Elementary School to Canobie Lake Park, Salem, NH on June 13, 2012;
Wollaston Elementary School to Canobie Lake Park, Salem, NH on
June 11, 2012; Montclair Elementary School to Canobie Lake Park, Salem, NH
on June 13, 2012; and North Quincy High School Air Force Junior ROTC to
Pinkham Notch/Lake of the Clouds, NH from June 19 through June 21, 2012.
Mr. McCarthy seconded the motion, and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
- - -
Additional Business
Mr. Bregoli announced that there will be a Policy Subcommittee meeting on
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 4:30 pm in the 2nd floor conference room of the NAGE
Building. This meeting will focus on the Community Service pilot.
Mr. McCarthy announced that there will be a Facilities and Security meeting on
Wednesday, April 11 on the proposed Maintenance department merger. Mr.
McCarthy also requested of Mr. Murphy that information on individual project costs
be added to the School Roofing Repair and Upgrade spreadsheet.
Mrs. Mahoney suggested to Mr. Segalla that Google Analytics would be a tool to
utilize for assessing website traffic. She also suggested surveying parents about
website usage.
Mayor Koch inquired whether the April 11 Facilities and Security Subcommittee
meeting would also be about the Coddington Hall renovation project. Mr. McCarthy
clarified that a separate meeting would be scheduled shortly for that presentation by
Wessling Architects.
- - -
Reports of Special Committees
Budget and Finance Subcommittee
Ms. Isola presented a report of the Budget and Finance Subcommittee meeting
of March 26, 2012. At that meeting, Mr. Mullaney reported on the expenditures in
the Academic Classroom Teachers, Academic Programs, Academic Support, and
non-Academic Support. Surpluses and deficits in various line items align and there
is a small projected deficit of $66,000, although Mr. Mullaney feels this will be
reconciled by the end of the fiscal year. For the revolving accounts, Food Services
and Rentals are projecting surpluses. Transportation and Athletics have small deficits
that will be covered by account balances from previous years.
Mrs. Roberts reviewed the plans for spring curriculum purchases, including Go Math!
Consumable Pupil Editions for Grades K-2. She is also planning to purchase
supplemental workbooks for Math, Grades 4-5 and 6-8 and Agenda books for Grades
4-8 system-wide. From the FY2013 budget, Mrs. Roberts is proposing purchasing
Go Math! Grade 3 and supplementing the planned Journeys pilot by adding one or
two elementary schools at a cost.
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to accept the minutes of the March 26, 2012 Budget
and Finance Subcommittee Meeting. Mrs. Mahoney seconded the motion and on a
roll call vote, the ayes have it.
Special Education Subcommittee
Mrs. Mahoney then reported on the Special Education Subcommittee meeting that
was held on Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Agenda items included a review of
progress towards the collaborative goals with QPAC, including the Special Education
Procedural Guidelines, Teacher Resource Guide, and Parent Brochure for Initial
Evaluation. Timelines for drafting, review, and finalization of each item were shared.
The Substitute Information form was reviewed and will be introduced at an upcoming
Principals’ Meeting with a goal of implementing this for Fall 2012 in schools. For
Transitions to Adulthood, it was agreed that this will remain as a long-term agenda
item as this is an evolving process. There was resolution to older issues involving
communication and information sharing; for 504 Legislation, there was no new
information to share at this time. The last item on the agenda was Progress Reports;
further information will be shared at the next Special Education Subcommittee
meeting on May 23, 2012.
Mrs. Mahoney made a motion to accept the minutes of the March 28, 2012 Special
Education Subcommittee Meeting. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a voice
vote, the ayes have it.
Teaching and Learning Subcommittee
Mrs. Lebo then reviewed the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee Meeting held on
Monday, April 2, 2012. At this meeting, Mr. Keith Segalla and Mrs. Mary Fredrickson
presented on the six Perkins Core Indicators that the Federal government requires
reporting of progress towards attainment for Career and Technical Education
students. If Quincy Public Schools fails to meet at least 90% of the Local Adjusted
Performance Level for an indicator, QPS is required to develop and implement a
Local Perkins Improvement Plan for that core indicator. Data is collected for total
population, by gender, ethnic groups, subgroups, nontraditional enrollees, and tech
prep students.
Mr. Segalla also presented on Educational Technology initiatives and highlighted in
particular the Professional Development initiatives. Over thirty courses were offered
in this school year, to support QPS’s transition to Microsoft Office 2010 and to
support implementation of new hardware such as MimioTeach and instructional
software such as Study Island.
Mrs. Roberts reviewed the Common Core and Curriculum updates, outlining plans
for purchases and pilots for the 2012-13 school year detailed in the summary of the
Budget and Finance Subcommittee meeting. The final item on the agenda was
Science Lab safety. Mr. Segalla reported on the work completed to assess and correct
any issues at the high school Science labs in collaboration with the Science
department heads. Middle School Science Labs are to be evaluated after April
vacation. Mrs. Roberts suggested that this item be referred to a different
subcommittee for monitoring; Mrs. Hubley requested it be referred to the Health,
Transportation, and Safety Subcommittee and all agreed.
Mrs. Lebo made a motion to accept the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee
Meeting minutes from the April 2, 2012 meeting. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion
and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
- - -
Adjournment
On a motion by Mr. McCarthy, seconded by Mrs. Hubley, the School Committee
went into Executive Session at 8:20 p.m. for Collective Bargaining. On a roll call
vote, the ayes have it 7-0. The School Committee did not return to Open Session.