Minutes
Quincy, Massachusetts - December 8, 2010
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular Mtg.
A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday,
December 8, 2010 in the City Council Chambers, City Hall. Present were:
Mr. Dave McCarthy, Mrs. Emily Lebo, Ms. Barbara Isola, Mrs. Jo-Ann Bragg,
Mrs. Elaine Dwyer, Mayor Thomas P. Koch, and Anne Mahoney, Vice Chairman
Vice Chairman Presiding
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The Superintendent called the roll and all members were present. Also present
were: Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Mrs. Tefta Burrelli, Clerk; Messrs.
Mullaney, Draicchio, Mulvey, Murphy and Keith Segalla; Ms. Roberts, Tenaglia,
Todd, and Hughes. Ms. Allison Cox, QEA President. Associate Members
Donna Niosi (QHS) and Winifred Akoury (NQHS).
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Reg. Meeting Mins. Approved
11/17/2010
On a motion by Mayor Koch, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, the Committee approved
the regular session minutes for November 17, 2010. The ayes have it.
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Supts Report
For the fifth consecutive year, dictionaries have been donated to all our third
graders by the Quincy Lodge of Elks. Mr. Jim Folk and Ms. Maureen Mesheau
representing the Elks, were recognized by the Committee and presented with a
Certificate of Appreciation for the annual donation of dictionaries. This year,
the Elks donated 697 dictionaries.
Gift-Dictionaries to 3rd. Graders
On a motion by Mrs. Bragg, seconded by
Mayor Koch, the Committee accepted the gift of dictionaries. The ayes have it.
Mayor Koch thanked the Elks for not only do they provide dictionaries to our
students, but they provide thousands of dollars to the community.
QHS Gym & Fitness Ctr. Dedication
The rededication of the Munroe MacLean Gymnasium and the George Burke
Fitness Center is scheduled for Friday, December 10 at 7:00 p.m. at Quincy
High School.
The Lego Robotics competition was held last Saturday at North Quincy High
School. Thanks went to all those people who helped put together a very successful event.
Drug Awareness Week
Drug Awareness Week is January 4 -January 7, 2011 at both high schools.
The Mayor’s Drug Task Force, Quincy Public Schools and Quincy’s Rotary
Club have collaborated in sponsoring an array of events for high school students
to combat teen substance abuse and promote healthy choices. Parents, students,
teachers, and administrators are encouraged to be part of the programs generously
sponsored by the Mayor’s Drug Task Force and Quincy’s Rotary Club.
The Superintendent thanked Mr. Jim Rendle, Maintenance, and the Park Department for the successful Thanksgiving Day events.
The Lions Club Speech contest for grades 11-12 will be held on December 15
at 6:00 p.m. at Eastern Nazarene College.
Thanks went to Keith Segalla, John Green, Tim Carew, Janice Erler, Brian
Smith, Rich Kenneally, Linda Santoro for Tis the Season….. This was a huge
success. and enjoyed by the whole community.
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Open Forum Anti bullying
The Chair extended an opportunity for anyone who wished to speak to the
new Anti-Bullying Policy. As no one wished to be heard at the Open Forum,
the Committee went on with the business at hand.
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Building Update
Maintenance staff has been busy with heating systems which require a lot of
attention at this time of year. They have been busy with glazing, caulking at
the Squantum St. side of Montclair School. They rented an aerial lift to do
this. The carpenters completed over 60 work orders, installed new desk hinges,
door knobs, hung white boards, shelves and windows. Painting continues
at Atherton Hough. Thanks went to Dennis and Tony for draining and
winterizing the heating systems at Veterans Stadium this week. A lot of
effort in renovations has been done to the Stadium.
Mrs. Bragg asked if the boilers in the schools are all set for the winter. Mr.
Murphy said he’s getting a price to put Glycol into the force hot water systems
and putting in anti freeze. They are working fine right now but he will be
winterizing them as soon as he gets the bids.
Mr. McCarthy inquired at the third floor leaks at Sterling. Mr. Murphy has
not worked on that yet.
Mrs. Mahoney asked about the 11 or 12 schools that have hot water systems
that requires Glycol. Mr. Murphy said there is heat in all of our schools.
She inquired about the lights heading into the gym in the pool area at Lincoln
Hancock Community School. Mr. Murphy said it was the timing schedule.
The custodian set the timer for three hours too early. There are ten lights
that are still out. The light by the alcove is working. The electricians are
working on heating systems. Mrs. Mahoney said she has received
several phone calls from people. She will give them Mr. Murphy’s phone
number.
Mrs. Dwyer will meet with Mr. Murphy regarding the School Improvement
Plans. The Parker School does not have a working intercom. The “all call”
button works only some of the times. Mr. Murphy said this will be replaced
the beginning of January.
Also, Mrs. Bragg said according to the Parker principal, the plaster is falling
down from the ceiling in rooms 6, 11, 11b, and 16 because the roof is leaking.
Mr. Murphy said he will work with principals when the students are out of
school on vacation. The Parker School is on the list for a new roof.
Mrs. Mahoney asked for a copy of the list he referred to.
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QHS Building Committee Mrs. Dwyer Reports
The Quincy High Building Committee met on Friday, December 3, to discuss
any major problems. The gym floor at the new school is flaking in some areas.
This happened because they used a water-base finish. It will not be fixed until
the summer. Gilbane and Tishman will be evaluating this. There are some
problems with Signet, the PA system, phones and camera access. With regard
to the punch list, there are 73 items left. They feel all of these will be fixed
in December. The Committee voted to buy seven wall cameras at a cost of
$24,673.
Mr. Timmins is working with the City Council to write a policy against skateboarding on public property for the whole City. “No trespassing” signs have
been put up around Quincy High School to deter skateboarding.
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Central Middle School Supt. Reports
Central Middle School has been approved by the MSBA to be a model school.
Ai3 has been meeting with the Superintendent and staff to talk about the site --
what the school will look like, the educational programs, how the school
will be best situated. The Superintendent said Ai3 is outstanding, and it is
a pleasure working with them.
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Anti Bullying File:10.9.8 Policy Approved
On a motion by Mrs. Bragg, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, the Committee
approved the Anti-Bullying Policy 10.9.8. On a roll call vote, the motion
passed unanimously 7-0.
Mrs. Bragg thanked Maura Tenaglia and all the people who worked on the
plan. It has been shared with QPAC. The Policy subcommittee reviewed
it on Monday.
Send to DESE
Mrs. Bragg made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Lebo, to approve
it and submit the revised plan to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary
and Secondary Education. The ayes have it.
Naming a School Facility File 6.4 Approved
Mrs. Bragg made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Lebo, for final policy approval of
the Naming a School Facility File 6.4. On a roll call vote, the motion passed
unanimously 7-0. Mrs. Bragg asked that the new/revised policies be forwarded
to the principals.
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District Improvement Plan (DIP)
At this time, Dr. DeCristofaro, Mrs. Roberts, and Mr. Keith Segalla gave a
presentation of the District Improvement Plan (DIP). This plan strives to
communicate, collaborate, contribute and work to create an effective, safe
and nurturing environment. Our District Improvement Plan underscores
and acknowledges our school system’s need to consistently assess and be
accountable for achievement of all students in the Quincy Public Schools.
Over 80 teams have been established to consistently examine and assess the
many aspects of the school system. These teams are comprised of teachers,
department heads, counselors, principals, directors, other professional paraprofessional staff and parents. Their task is to identify areas in need of improvement to establish goals and work within a specific process of managed change.
The DIP is designed to manage and communicate information within the
school system. The communication occurs internally through the distribution
of team meeting notes and externally through the use of our website.
The standards, indicators, benchmarks, sources of evidence, teams and
team goals have been entered into a database as separate tables that are linked
together. At year end, after the status of each goal has been reported, the
tables are updated. Benchmarks may be added along with additional sources
of evidence, team members may be added or removed, new team goals entered
or revised, and team meeting times and locations updated for the following
year. All this information can then be viewed or printed from a series of
reports. These reports are distributed and are on line.
The team goal setting process initiates actions that can be monitored by our
sources of evidence. Ultimately, improvement can be evaluated by the success
of each team’s completion of their goals which in turn facilitates the change
process for improvement in the school system.
The members were very impressed with the District Improvement Plan and
that it is now on the Quincy Public Schools website.
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Mrs. Bragg asked that the Student Support Team report on the Harassment
Policy in a Policy Subcommittee by April.
Mrs. Lebo inquired about the tutorial in the School Improvement Plans. She
said that the schools were going in different directions regarding the MCAS
section. The Committee was getting different types of information because
their school needs were different. She asked if there could be some standard
in what they see.
Mrs. Roberts said she will sit with the principals and look at the different pieces
of data. Although each school wants to look at the positives, there are needs
and issues in every school. She will take a look at that and try to make those
charts much more standard.
Mrs. Mahoney requested that they add them to the Budget Subcommittee and
tie in the PIPs and explain our programs and tie them to Jim Mullaney in our
budget so we can see how this goes together. She would like the Budget Subcommittee meetings taped and shared with the general public.
Additional Business
Mrs. Lebo asked for an overview of the Common Core coming from the
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education which the state signed.
Mrs. Roberts said that is scheduled for the January 5 presentation.
Mrs. Lebo inquired about funding for a new position at Lincoln Hancock.
Mr. Mullaney answered that there was a .2 not filled in a speech position
and a .4 teacher who retired. This is how they funded the .6 position. Mrs.
Roberts added that the Title 1 funds need to be expended by July 1. This
position is at Lincoln Hancock which is a Title 1 school.
Maura Tenaglia, Pupil Personnel Services, will be presenting at the next Citywide
meeting on Monday, December 13 at Broad Meadows 7: 00 p.m.
Mrs. Lebo represents Quincy and Boston on the CVT Advisory Council to the
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. That group is charged with
presenting to the Commissioner the needs of Vocational Technical education. The
group as a whole has very little knowledge on how a comprehensive high school
works. They have requested that one of the meetings be held in a comprehensive
high school. Mrs. Lebo suggested Quincy High School. She would like to meet
there on February 2 from 10:00 – 3:00 p.m. She would like an overview, a tour,
lunch, and a place to hold the meeting. She asked that Frank Santoro and Keith
set that up and get back to her.
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12/1 Policy Subcommittee Mrs. Bragg Reports
SIPs approved SQ,BERN,AH,MARSH, MONT, PR
The Policy Subcommittee met on December 1 and Mrs. Bragg made a
motion seconded by Mr. McCarthy to move approval of the following School
Improvement Plans: Squantum, Bernazzani, Lincoln Hancock, Atherton
Hough, Marshall, Montclair and Parker. On a roll call vote, the motion
passed unanimously 7-0.
On a motion by Mrs. Bragg, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, the Committee
approved the Policy Subcommittee minutes for December 1, 2010. The
ayes have it.
12/6 Policy Subcommittee Mrs. Bragg reports
The Policy Subcommittee met again on December 6. The Superintendent
presented a chart showing open enrollment trends. He expressed concern
about exceeding the educational cap. He asked the members to call him
with their thoughts. The Superintendent will report back regarding admission
to the Center for Technical Education programs at a later date. The Committee
then discussed Progress Reports. At a prior meeting, the School Committee
added numerous conditions for the teachers to use on the Progress Reports.
However, many teachers are not utilizing the comments section and the
Committee is still hearing complaints. They discussed various alternatives.
They suggested “trending up and trending down,” but did not come to any
conclusion. This item will remain in Subcommittee. The members discussed
polling places. Mr. Joe Shea, City Clerk, told Mrs. Bragg that he has tried to
find other locations for polling but has not had much success. Parents have
expressed concern with safety and traffic. Mr. Shea said that one of the reasons
they like using the schools is because the custodians do such a wonderful job
setting up and cleaning up after the polls closed. Members suggested setting up
cones; contacting Mr. Shea again, speaking with the Police Chief for more
coverage, our principals, and Mike Draicchio for more suggestions. The findings
will be report back in the first meeting in March.
The Policy Subcommittee will meet again in January 26 to discuss mostly high
school issues --the school tardy/attendance policy, update on the CPR and ADD
training in the schools, student use of the Electronics/Internet Social Networking
policy, and work on Progress Reports that tie into both middle and high school.
On a motion by Mrs. Bragg, seconded by Ms. Isola, the Committee approved
the Policy Subcommittee minutes for December 6, 2010. The ayes have it.
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The Committee noted the following appointments:
Teacher: Joanna Kearns
Counselor: Kathleen McCarthy
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Executive Session
At 8:42 p.m. on a motion by Mayor Koch, seconded by Ms. Isola, the `
Committee voted to go into Executive Session for the purposes of collective
bargaining and the Superintendent’s contract. On a roll call vote, the motion
passed 5-0. MRS. BRAGG ABSTAINED, MRS. DWYER ABSTAINED.
Minutes for the Executive Session will be taken by Mr. Timmins.
3-yr. Contract for Supt. reached by SC
At 9:47 p.m. the members returned to Open Session,
Mr. McCarthy made a motion, seconded by Ms. Isola, that after a short
deliberation and a few weeks of negotiating with the Superintendent he was
pleased to announce that the Committee had reached a draft agreement for
a three year contract with Dr. DeCristofaro.
Ms. Isola said she was pleased with the contract that they have come to an
agreement and hopefully the Superintendent will be pleased with the contract.
She is also pleased that his contract is not going to cost the City additional
monies and that we’ll be able to move forward in the interest of the Quincy
Public Schools over the next three years.
Mrs. Dwyer said on a personal note, Dr. DeCristofaro has been a terrific,
passionate Superintendent and it is their pleasure to extend his contract for
three more years. She looks forward to working with him. He is doing a
great job and thanked him for his hard work.
Mrs. Bragg told the Superintendent that he has done a great job and looks
forward working with him three more years.
On a roll call vote, the motion passed unanimously 7-0.
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Adjournment
On a motion by Mr. McCarthy, seconded by Ms. Isola, the meeting adjourned
at 9:50 p.m. The ayes have it.