March 20, 2013 School Committee Meeting

Agenda

Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Quincy High School
7:00 p.m.

I. Approval of Minutes: Regular Meeting Minutes for March 6, 2013.

II. Open Forum: An opportunity for community input regarding the Quincy Public Schools. After giving his or her name and address, each speaker may make a presentation of no more than four minutes to the School Committee. An individual may not exchange their time or yield to others.

III. Superintendent’s Report:

A. Outstanding Career and Technical Education Student Recognition

B. Student Recognitions: SkillsUSA

C. Credit for Life Fair

D. Student Recognitions: NQHS and QHS Science Fair Winners

E. Student-Athlete Recognitions: Winter Sports

F. Upcoming Events

G. Home-School Connections: Wollaston Elementary School Monthly Newsletter

IV. Old Business:

V. New Business:

A. Aspen X2 Student Information System - Mr. Keith Segalla, Ms. Ellen Garofalo

B. Out of State Travel:

1. Sterling Middle School Grade 6 students to Canobie Lake Park in Windham, New Hampshire on June 20, 2013.

2. North Quincy High School AFJROTC to Gettysburg, PA and Valley Forge, PA April 5-April 9, 2013.

VI. Additional Business:

VII. Communications:

VIII. Reports of Subcommittees:

  1. Facilities and Security Subcommittee: Mr. McCarthy to report on the March 18, 2013 meeting.

  2. Teaching and Learning Subcommittee: Mrs. Lebo to report on the March 19, 2013 meeting.

IX. Executive Session: Collective Bargaining

X. Adjournment:

Subcommittees of the School Committee

Subcommittee Items


Budget & Finance
Isola/Bregoli/Hubley/Koch/Lebo/Mahoney/McCarthy

School Facilities & Security
McCarthy/Bregoli/Hubley

  1. Sterling Building Plans Referred to Subcommittee by the School Building Task Force in 1998.

  2. Coddington Hall Referred to Subcommittee at the May 18, 2011 School Committee Meeting. The City of Quincy has appropriated funds to refurbish Coddington Hall to serve as the Quincy Public Schools administrative offices. Wessling Architects has completed the design phase of the project and construction bids are scheduled to go out in early October. All bids being in order, construction should begin in January 2013.

  3. Houses on Saville Avenue Referred to Subcommittee at the May 18, 2011 School Committee Meeting. Currently home to the City’s Public Building department, the School Committee and Superintendent see no future educational uses for these properties.

  4. Outside Lighting Audit Referred to Subcommittee at the February 8, 2012 School Committee Meeting. To address safety concerns, an audit was requested to look for lights that need repair or replacement and locations that would benefit from additional lighting.

  5. President’s City Inn Referred to Subcommittee at the October 10, 2012 School Committee Meeting. Safety concerns have been expressed about this property that abuts the new Central Middle School. 

  6. Classroom Door Locks Referred to Subcommittee at the January 23, 2013 School Committee Meeting. Review of current status by school underway as well as cost estimates for upgrading all schools to meet recommended standards.

  7. School Lobby Security Controls Referred to Subcommittee at the January 23, 2013 School Committee Meeting. Review of existing visitor protocols, with special consideration of current high school policies and discussion of enhancements moving forward for all schools.

Health, Transportation & Safety
Hubley/Lebo/McCarthy

  1. School Meal Charges Referred to Subcommittee at the March 21, 2012 School Committee Meeting. New state and federal regulations require formalization of the school meal charges policy.

  2. Science Lab Safety: Referred from the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee at the April 2, 2012 meeting. High School and High School Science labs have been reviewed and needed updates for compliance completed as of September 24, 2012 Special School Committee Meeting. Monitoring of supplies will be handled by High School Safety Team; need similar plan for Middle Schools.

  3. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Referred to Subcommittee at the September 24, 2012 Special School Committee Meeting. Student Support Services working with Lincoln Hancock, Clifford Marshall, and Parker Elementary Schools on piloting this initiative.

School Policy
Bregoli/Isola/Mahoney

  1. Graduation Requirements Referred to Subcommittee at the September 7, 2011 School Committee Meeting and discussed at the October 11, 2011 School Policy Subcommittee. The discussion centered around adding a fourth year of Math as a graduation requirement; the issue is tabled until more is known about the impact of the new Common Core Standards on the Massachusetts frameworks.

  2. New Educator Evaluations Referred at the September 7, 2011 School Committee Meeting and shared with the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee. Further discussion will be held in joint Subcommittee Meetings and Executive Session as it pertains to collective bargaining.

  3. High School Community Service Referred to Subcommittee at the December 14, 2011 School Committee Meeting. A resolution was introduced proposing a Community Service requirement; pilot program for Grades 10 and 11 is underway for 2012-2013 school year.

  4. Conflict of Interest: Volunteering, Tutoring, Hiring Referred to Subcommittee at the January 11, 2012 School Committee Meeting. Review and discussion of existing policy requested.

  5. Adding CPR as a Graduation Requirement Referred to Subcommittee at the March 21, 2012 School Committee Meeting. Review and discussion of existing policy requested.

  6. Exempting Student Athletes from Physical Education Requirement Referred at the May 2, 2012 School Committee Meeting. Student athletes who compete in three seasons of athletics with parent permission and maintenance of academic eligibility, would not be required to take Physical Education classes. Review and discussion of existing policy requested.

  7. Advertising/Sponsorship Opportunities Referred at the June 13, 2012 School Committee Meeting. Review and discussion of amending the existing policy requested to explore the possibility of raising revenue by accepting advertising sponsorships.

Special Education
Mahoney/Bregoli/McCarthy

  1. Substitute Teachers for SPED Originally referred to Subcommittee at the January 17, 2007 School Committee Meeting. At the Special School Committee Meeting on January 28, 2012 and the Special Education Subcommittee meeting on February 1, 2012, it was agreed that some progress has been made in the way that substitute teachers are informed and educated about accommodations for special needs issues. A form has been developed for classroom teachers to share information and the goal for implementation is the 2012-2013 school year.

  2. Special Education Program Assessment Referred to Subcommittee at the January 28, 2012 Special School Committee Meeting. This will be an ongoing discussion of the curriculum initiatives for Special Education.

Rules, Post Audit & Oversight
Lebo/Bregoli/Hubley

Teaching and Learning 
Lebo/Hubley/Isola

  1. New Educator Evaluations Referred at the September 7, 2011 School Committee Meeting and shared with the School Policy Subcommittee. Two meetings have already been held to begin exploring the requirements of the new regulations (9/21/11 Ad Hoc Subcommittee meeting and February 13, 2012 Teaching and Learning Subcommittee meeting) and further discussion will be held in joint Subcommittee meetings and Executive Session as it pertains to collective bargaining.

  2. Media Specialists in Elementary and Middle Schools Referred at the January 23, 2012 School Committee Meeting. The Citywide Parents’ Council presented a signed petition representing the request to restore these positions in the FY2014 budget and seek additional funding to address the positions for the remainder of the
    2012-2013 school year.

Ad Hoc Committees:

Channel 22
Mahoney/McCarthy

Created at the October 27, 2007 School Committee meeting to encourage the greater use of Channel 22 across Quincy Public Schools.

Central Building Committee
Mahoney

Athletic Rules
McCarthy/Hubley/Lebo

Created at the October 24, 2012 School Committee meeting to continue discussion on Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association rules.

Minutes

Quincy, Massachusetts - March 20, 2013
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee

Regular Meeting

A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at the Quincy High School. Present were Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mayor Thomas Koch, Mrs. Emily Lebo, Mrs. Anne Mahoney, Mr. David McCarthy, and Ms. Barbara Isola, Vice Chair.

Vice-Chair Presiding

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There was a moment of silence for Mrs. Ann Widman, former Special Education Aide at the Snug Harbor Community School for many years.

The Superintendent called the roll and all members were present. Also present were: Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk; Mr. Kevin Barrett, Mr. Jeff Bretsch, Mr. Michael Connor, Mr. Michael Draicchio, Mrs. Mary Fredrickson, Ms. Ellen Garofalo, Mr. Matthew Gibbons, Ms. Kerry Ginty, Mr. Edward Holmes, Mrs. Ellen Hunter, Mr. James Mullaney, Mr. Kevin Mulvey, Mr. Kenneth Panaro, Mrs. Maura Papile, Mr. David Parry, Assistant Superintendent Colleen Roberts, Mr. Frank Santoro, Ms. Gina Scanlan, Mr. Robert Shaw, Mr. Edward Smith, Ms. Judy Todd, Mr. Paul Tully; Ms. Allison Cox, President, Quincy Education Association, Mrs. Tracey Christello, Citywide Parents’ Council Representative, Ms. Jill Gichuhi, President, Quincy Parent Advisory Council to Special Education; and Ms. Lindsay Schrier, Quincy High School Student Representative to the School Committee.

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Regular Meeting Minutes Approved 3/6/2013

Mr. McCarthy made a motion, seconded by Mr. Bregoli, to approve the Regular Meeting minutes for March 6, 2013. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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Open Forum

Mrs. Tracey Christello thanked the School Committee for adding the topic of Media Specialists to the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee. Mrs. Christello shared research on the effect of librarians on test scores and student achievement. .

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Superintendent’s Report

Superintendent DeCristofaro began his report by noting the many high school students present at the meeting to be recognized for academic and athletic achievements. He introduced the two high school principals, Mr. Robert Shaw from North Quincy High School and Mr. Frank Santoro from Quincy High School. Mr. Santoro welcomed the Mayor and School Committee to Quincy High School and introduced Engineering Technology Teacher Mr. Paul Tully to present the Outstanding Career and Technical Education Student, William Malas. Mr. Malas is second in class rank with a 4.8 GPA, is a double major in Engineering Technology and Information Technology, is a member of the National Honors Society and a SkillsUSA leadership team member. He has the distinction of having been nominated for this award by two teachers, Mr. Holmes and Mr. Tully. Mr. Malas addressed the School Committee and expressed his thanks for the opportunities presented to him at Quincy High School, noting that teacher encouragement was an important part of his success.

Career and Technical Education Department Chair Mrs. Gina Scanlan spoke about SkillsUSA, the partnership of students, teachers, and industry with 13,000 school chapters nationwide. Quincy High School has participated in the SkillsUSA competition for the last five years in the areas of Information Technology, Graphics, Business, Welding, Early Education, Fashion, Health Care, Freshman Seminar, and Protective Services. SkillsUSA Coach and Advisor Mr. Holmes introduced the fourteen students who medaled in nine different fields at the recent district competition: James Abundis, Bronze Medal, Electronics Technology; Amy Chen, Silver Medal, 3D Visualization and Animation; Tyler Chen, Bronze Medal, Technical Computer Applications; Dan Cunningham, Silver Medal, 3D Visualization and Animation; Liam Fitzmaurice, Silver Medal, Digital Cinema Production; Lok Yin Fung, Silver Medal, Criminal Justice; Ellis Hampton, Silver Medal, Digital Cinema Production; Wei Feng He, Silver Medal, Photography; Elizabeth Le, Gold Medal, Criminal Justice; Mary Ly, Bronze Medal, Advertising Design; William Malas, Silver Medal, Computer Programming; Kayla Neuman, Bronze Medal, Criminal Justice; Jessica Siders, Gold Medal, Advertising Design; Bryan Stoker, Gold Medal, Computer Maintenance Technology.

North Quincy High School Principal Mr. Shaw and Acting Science Department Chair Mr. Panaro introduced the recent Science Fair Winners, noting that they, along with a number of other students, competed at the South Shore Regional Science Fair and qualified to go to the upcoming Massachusetts State Science Fair. The North Quincy High School Science Fair winners were Eirene Moutsopoulos (1 st place); Boriana Tzevetkova (2nd place); and Yi Fung (3rd place). Quincy High School Principal Mr. Santoro, along with Science Department Chair Mr. Smith then presented their Science Fair winners and noted that there were similar qualifications for the regional and state Science Fairs. The Quincy High School Science Fair winners were Kun Yi Li and Anna Nguyen (1st place); Marisa Abundis (2nd place); and Sophia Mac (3rd place).

Mr. Shaw then introduced the North Quincy High School Girls Varsity Basketball coaches and captains; their 13-8 record earned them a 2 nd place finish in their Patriot League division and qualified them for the MIAA tournament. Mr. Santoro introduced the Quincy High School Girls Varsity Basketball coaches and captains; their 11-11 record earned them a 2nd place finish in their Patriot League division and qualified them for the MIAA tournament. Mr. Shaw introduced the North Quincy High School Boys Hockey team who finished with a 9-9-4 record and qualified for the MIAA tournament. Mr. Santoro introduced the Quincy High School Boys Basketball captains and coaches who finished with a 14-10 record and qualified for the MIAA tournament. The team received a Team Sportsmanship award from the Patriot League. Mr. Shaw introduced the North Quincy High School Boys Basketball team, also a recipient of a Patriot League Sportsmanship award. The team played in several rounds of the MIAA tournament, reaching the sectional finals, and scored more points in the season than any team in North Quincy High School history. Mr. Santoro then introduced the Quincy High School Boys Soccer team, who despite suffering several tragedies, finished with a10-6-4 record and qualified for the MIAA tournament. Mr. Santoro concluded this part of the student recognitions by speaking about the link between sports and academic achievements; he thanked School Committee for their support of student athletic and academic endeavors.

Mrs. Mahoney spoke about enjoying seeing the many student students achievements for both high schools and how the students support one another, evidenced by the community spirit at the North Quincy High School basketball game at UMass Boston. Mrs. Lebo noted how proud she was of all of the students for taking advantage of the many opportunities afforded to them. Mr. McCarthy congratulated the students for their maturity and integrity; both principals have done great work instilling sportsmanship in their school cultures. He complimented the SkillsUSA and Science Fair winners on their academic achievements; the students are a credit to the city. Mayor Koch expressed his pride in the students’ individual and team achievements, thanked teachers, coaches, guidance counselors, principals, and wished the graduating seniors continued success. Mr. Bregoli thanked the parents and coaches and noted that both high schools provide the highest quality education and athletic opportunities for our students and families. Ms. Isola reiterated how much she and the School Committee enjoy seeing all the different types of student achievements and thanked the parents for all their support.

Dr. DeCristofaro noted that Athletic Director Mr. Rendle was absent this evening because he was accepting one of four statewide awards for Athletic Directors from the Massachusetts Secondary Schools Athletic Directors’ Association. Dr. DeCristofaro concluded by reflecting on the opportunities for Quincy Public Schools students in terms of academics, athletics, and the arts; he thanked the students for taking advantage of the opportunities presented in the Quincy Public Schools. He is very proud of the students and thanked the high school principals for their hard work every day, many nights, and weekends.

After a brief recess, Superintendent DeCristofaro resumed his report. Upcoming Quincy Public Schools events include the Quincy High School Engineering Technology Presentations on April 11; All Shook Up! presented by North Quincy High School March 22 through March 24; the Quincy High School Artistry Festival with events throughout the month of April, including a presentation of The Wizard of Oz April 5 through April 7. A schedule of Spring Concerts was shared with the School Committee, with dates for each elementary, middle, and high school, plus the Citywide Band and John Adams Orchestra. The middle school Science Fairs are ongoing through April, MCAS English Language Arts testing is underway, and the Middle School Swim meet will be held on Saturday, April 6. The QPAC Resource Fair will be held on March 25 at Quincy High School.

Due to the most recent snow day, Thursday, June 27 is now the last day of school. An updated calendar has been posted on the Quincy Public Schools website. The Superintendent concluded his report by noting that examples of home-school communication, the Bernazzani and Wollaston Elementary School newsletters had been shared with the School Committee.

Mayor Koch left the meeting at 8:15 pm.

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New Business

New Student Information System, Aspen X2

Mrs. Ellen Hunter and Mrs. Ellen Garofalo from the Instructional Technology department presented the new Student Information System, Aspen X2. School staff, district administrators, students, and parents will all have access to the new Student Information System. The selection process began with establishing a selection team who viewed product presentations from several vendors. Team members rated the software presented to them and research was done about outside recommendations. Aspen X2 is widely used in Massachusetts.

Mrs. Garofalo reviewed the attendance features for both daily and class attendance; teachers can complete attendance online. Aspen’s scheduling functions are very user-friendly and allow for online class requests for high school students; it will allow scheduling to be finalized before the end of the school year. Aspen has the capacity to map test data back to curriculum, create assessment definitions and strands, and perform analysis. The Aspen Teacher Gradebook will give teachers the opportunity to share grades throughout the term, allowing students and parents to monitor progress.

For professional development, staff will be able to track their own professional development points and register for local opportunities. For state reporting, Aspen is a proactive developer and works to simplify the complex and shifting requirements of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The Curriculum module will allow for the sharing of curriculum maps and other important Common Core implementation materials. For the student/parent portal, information can be shared about assignments and projects.

Active involvement by the Superintendent’s Leadership Team and other teams, (including Scheduling, Assessment, Professional Development, Curriculum, Principal, and Secretaries) are critical to successful implementation of this system. Mrs. Garofalo shared the implementation timeline and the tasks that need to be completed. The go-live date is August 12, 2013. Training will begin before school closes for the year and resume when school offices reopen in August. There will be a business process review and suggested improvements for daily workflows. Operational inconsistencies will be identified to improve workflow; this work is already underway. Data validation will be completed between April and June; all validation team members will receive training prior to the beginning of their validation cycle. Implementation updates will be shared with staff via email and posted on the website in Staff Academy. Information for families will also be posted on the main page of the Quincy Public Schools website.

Mr. Bregoli asked about the schedule for training; Mrs. Garofalo said the majority of the staff will be trained close to the go-live date, noting that Aspen has excellent online support in the form of quick reference guides and videos. The IT Department will be a resource for the school staffs during and after the transition. Mrs. Mahoney is pleased that QPS is moving forward and asked about whether parents will be able to access specific curriculum content, for example, access Study Island, but this is not the case. She asked about the other companies that had been reviewed and Mrs. Garofalo noted that in comparison, the vendor selected had the most experience working with Massachusetts’s data filing requirements. Mrs. Mahoney asked about the database mapping; Aspen is mapping the data and matching Starbase fields to their fields. Mrs. Garofalo stressed that FERPA is always observed; teachers only have access to their own students; school secretaries and administrators have access to the entire school. Security roles will be finalized before implementation.

Mr. McCarthy thanked Mrs. Hunter and Mrs. Garofalo and noted that he had asked questions and received answers that the Clerk will share with the rest of the School Committee. Mr. McCarthy asked for clarification on the modules, which are improvements over the current Student Information System. The Curriculum, SPED, and Parent modules are all new with this Student Information System, but beyond that, other modules such as Assessment and Grading will have more depth and can be more fully utilized. Mr. McCarthy asked about state reporting and whether direct reporting will be improved through the new system. Mrs. Garofalo said that Aspen has been very successful in integrating with the state’s new automated reporting process.

Mrs. Lebo thanked Ms. Garofalo and Mrs. Hunter for the presentation and noted that she has experience working in Aspen and is pleased by their selection for the Quincy Public schools. Ms. Garofalo confirmed that students should be able access their GPAs and transcript information. Ms. Schrier asked about parents with several students; parents will initially have a logon for each student, but eventually, there will be an option to set up a family account to simplify access for parents.

Ms. Isola thanked both Mrs. Hunter and Ms. Garofalo for the presentation; she is especially pleased to hear that the scheduling process will be improved. Ms. Isola suggested that parent information nights be held at different schools. Mrs. Garofalo agreed that this will be done at the school level, perhaps at PTO. Mrs. Lebo asked whether the nurse’s software SNAP will be integrated with this Student Information System. Mrs. Garofalo said there is an Aspen Health module, and this may be something for future consideration. Ms. Schrier asked about translation; the software allows for translation of documents and parts of the site. Mrs. Hubley noted that she had also sent questions about Aspen and received answers and asked for the Clerk to share those with the School Committee as well.

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Out of State Travel

Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the out of state travel of the Sterling Middle School, Grade 6 students to Canobie Lake Park in Windham, NH on June 20, 2013. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the out of state travel of North Quincy High School AFROTC students to Gettysburg and Valley Forge, PA April 5 through April 9, 2013. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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Communications

Mrs. Mahoney reminded the School Committee that the QPAC Resource Fair will be held at Quincy High School on Monday, March 25 from 6 pm to 8 pm.

Mrs. Mahoney announced that the next Special Education Subcommittee meeting would be held on Wednesday, March 27.

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Reports of Subcommittees

Facilities and Security Subcommittee

Mr. McCarthy reported on the March 18, 2013 Facilities and Security Subcommittee meeting. There were four major areas covered in the meeting: interior security (classroom door locks), exterior security (access control, identification), cameras and surveillance. Mr. McCarthy thanked Mr. Kevin Segalla and Mr. Draicchio for all of the work gathering information and costs; he also thanked Mayor Koch for moving the full appropriation before the City Council to address these Quincy Public Schools safety and security concerns. Maintenance issues were also updated, completed items noted and others where progress has been made; additional items are still to be addressed and any concerns or priorities can be forwarded to Mr. McCarthy.

Mr. McCarthy would like to have another meeting before the end of the school year to address any remaining issues with Quincy High School, especially focused on the heating system.

Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the March 18, 2013 Facilities and Security Subcommittee Meeting minutes. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Mrs. Lebo announced that the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee meeting originally scheduled for Tuesday, March 19 was rescheduled to Tuesday, April 2 at 5:00 pm.

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Executive Session

On a motion by Mr. McCarthy, seconded by Mrs. Lebo, the School Committee went into Executive Session at 9:00 p.m. for Collective Bargaining. On a roll call vote, the ayes have it 6-0. Mayor Koch was absent. The School Committee will return to the Regular Meeting at the close of Executive Session.

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The School Committee returned from Executive Session at 9:15 p.m.

Approval of MOA Between Quincy School Committee and the QPS Custodians Association

Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the Memorandum of Agreement between the Quincy School Committee and the Quincy Public Schools Custodians Association. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it 6-0. Mayor Koch was absent.

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Adjournment

Mr. McCarthy made a motion to adjourn at 9:20 p.m. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Hubley and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.