June 4, 2014 Public Hearing

Agenda

Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Wednesday, June 4, 2014, 6:00 pm
City Council Chambers, City Hall

I. CONSISTENT WITH THE PROVISIONS OF CHAPTER 71, SECTION 38N OF THE GENERAL LAWS, THE QUINCY SCHOOL COMMITTEE WILL HOLD A PUBIC HEARING ON ITS PROPOSED FY2015 BUDGET ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2014 at 6:00 P.M. IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS ON THE SECOND FLOOR OF CITY HALL. ALL INTERESTED PERSONS WILL BE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD.

II. Approval of Minutes: None.

III. 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.

IV. Superintendent’s Report: None.

V. Old Business: None.

VI. New Business: None.

VII. Additional Business:

VIII. Communications:

IX. Reports of Subcommittees: None.

X. Executive Session: None.

XI. Adjournment:


Subcommittees of the School Committee

Budget & Finance
Hubley/Bregoli, DiBona, Isola, Koch, Mahoney, McCarthy

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 is underway as of June 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. 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. Current construction plans were reviewed at the March 18, 2014 Subcommittee Meeting.

  5. 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.

  6. Solar Array Installation on School Roofs Referred to Subcommittee at the June 12, 2013 School Committee Meeting for further review and discussion. Reviewed at the March 4, 2014 Subcommittee Meeting.

  7. Heating Audit Referred at the November 13, 2013 Subcommittee meeting. Heating issues at all schools to be reviewed and prioritized with Public Buildings/Maintenance departments. Reviewed at the March 4, 2014 Subcommittee Meeting.

  8. North Quincy High School Campus Expansion/Teal Field Project Referred at the January 22, 2014 School Committee Meeting. A presentation on the proposed enhancements will be scheduled.

  9. Atlantic Middle School Parking Lot and Traffic Improvements Referred at the January 22, 2014 School Committee Meeting. A presentation of the proposed enhancements will be scheduled

Health, Transportation & Safety
DiBona/Bregoli/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. Monitoring of supplies will be handled by School Safety Teams

  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.

  4. Traffic Concerns at North Quincy High School Referred to Subcommittee at the March 5, 2014 School Committee Meeting. Parent concerns about East Squantum Street crosswalk/parking lot entrance

Policy
Bregoli/Isola/Hubley

  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. Pilot program for Grades 10 and 11 was completed in the 2012-2013 school year. The pilot program was extended to the 2013-2014 school year for grades 11 and 12.

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

  5. 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.

  6. Extracurricular Eligibility Referred at the March 25, 2013 Ad Hoc Athletics Rules Subcommittee. Review and discussion of the existing policy and consideration of increasing the requirements.

  7. Residency Referred at the September 18, 2013 Special School Committee Meeting. Review of existing policy and expansion to include additional information on verification process.

  8. Review of High School Academic and Extracurricular Programs Referred at the November 13, 2013 School Committee Meeting. A comparison of the offerings at both schools to be analyzed to ensure equitable and parallel opportunities for all students at both facilities.  

Special Education
Mahoney/DiBona/McCarthy

  1. Student Information for Substitute Teachers Originally referred to Subcommittee at the January 17, 2007 School Committee Meeting. At the Special Education Subcommittee meeting on October 16, 2013, it was agreed that the new Aspen Student Information System Special Education module reports will be utilized to share information with substitute teachers about IEPs, 504 plans, and accommodations. Projected implementation is by September 2014.

  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
Hubley/Isola/Mahoney

Teaching and Learning
Isola/Hubley/Mahoney

  1. New Educator Evaluations Referred at the September 7, 2011 School Committee Meeting and shared with the School Policy Subcommittee. The 2013-2014 school year is the first year of the new Educator Evaluation process and a collaboration will continue between the School Committee, Superintendent’s Leadership Team, and the Quincy Education Association around issues related to the implementation.

  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. Three Middle School Library Teacher positions were added in the FY2014 budget, as well as thirteen Library Support Teachers for the Elementary Schools.

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

Instrumental/Band Program
Hubley/DiBona/McCarthy

Created at the January 22, 2014 School Committee Meeting to evaluate the current Instrumental/Band Program at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

Minutes

Quincy, Massachusetts – June 4, 2014
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee

Regular Meeting

A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday, June 4, 2014 at the City Council Chambers in City Hall. Present were Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mr. Noel DiBona, Ms. Barbara Isola, Mayor Thomas Koch, Mrs. Anne Mahoney, Mr. David McCarthy, and Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Vice Chair.

Vice-Chair Presiding

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The Superintendent called the roll and all were present. Also present were: Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk; Mr. Michael Draicchio, Mr. James Mullaney, Mr. Kevin Mulvey, Mrs. Maura Papile, Mrs. Erin Perkins, Ms. Madeline Roy, Mr. Keith Segalla, Ms. Judy Todd.

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Public Hearing

Consistent with the Provisions of Chapter 71, Section 38N of the General Laws, the Quincy School Committee held a public hearing on its proposed FY2015 Budget. All interested persons were given an opportunity to be heard.

Five parents of Bernazzani Elementary School Grade 3 students spoke of their concerns about class size and academic issues for the upcoming school year: Elaine Cronin, Scott Alessandro, Joanne Petrongalo, Kate Campbell, and Christina Dunn.

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Adjournment

On a motion by Ms. Isola, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, the School Committee adjourned at 6:25 p.m. for the evening. There was no Executive Session. The ayes have it.