|
A meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday, May
17, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. in the School Committee Room at the Coddington Building. Superintendent Kevin Mulvey called the roll
and present were Mayor Thomas P. Koch, School Committee Chair, and School
Committee Members Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mrs. Tina Cahill, Mr. Douglas Gutro, Mrs.
Kathryn Hubley, Mrs. Emily Lebo, and Mr. Frank Santoro, Vice Chair.
Also present were:
Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Assistant Superintendent Erin Perkins, Ms.
Marianne Collins, Ms. Kim Connolly, Ms. Allison Cox, Mr. Michael Draicchio, Ms.
Sara Dufour, Mr. Dan Gilbert, Ms.
Julie Graham, Mr. Finbar Heaslip, Ms. Stephanie Jones, Ms. Rebecca McInnis, Mr.
James Mullaney, Ms. Alicia Ten-Pow
Negeri, Ms. Maura Papile, Ms. Madeline Roy, Mr. Keith Segalla; and Ms. Laura
Owens, Clerk.
A moment of silence was observed for North Quincy High School
Department Chair Rebecca Nutley, who passed away last week. A 24-year veteran of Quincy Public Schools,
Mrs. Nutley was previously a guidance counselor at Point Webster Middle
School and Quincy Evening High School.
Mr. Santoro read the following
statement into the record: Pursuant to the Open Meeting Law, any person
may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may transmit
the meeting through any medium.
Attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or transmissions
are being made whether perceived or unperceived by those present and are
deemed acknowledged and permissible.
§
|
Regular Meeting
Vice-Chair Presiding
|
|
Mrs. Lebo made a motion to approve
the minute of the Regular Meeting for May 3, 2023. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a
voice vote, the ayes have it.
Ms. Cahill made a motion to approve
the minutes of the Executive Session for May 3, 2023. Mr. Gutro seconded the motion and on a
voice vote, the ayes have it.
§
|
Approval of
Minutes
|
|
Parent
Jennifer Chen spoke in response to the School Committee deliberation of
adding Lunar New Year to the school year calendar at the May 3, 2023 School
Committee meeting.
Ms.
Owens read a letter from student Maya Egan and parent Susan Chinsen in
support of establishing Lunar New Year as a Quincy Public Schools holiday.
§
|
Open Forum
|
|
Superintendent Mulvey recognized the 23 students from the Class of 2023 from North Quincy
High School and Quincy High School who have met the criteria to receive the
Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy, the first Quincy Public Schools class to
earn this honor. Students earned a high intermediate score of
proficiency on a language assessment in addition to meeting expectations on
the Grade 10 ELA MCAS. From Quincy
High School: Sarah Alberione, Kayron
Campos, Vanessa Chan, Nick Chen, Rebecca Da Silva, Saidy Guerro, Christiana
Nguyen, Thuy Nguyen, Julia Rue, Vasiliana Sota, Jiaxin Zhu; from North
Quincy High School: Candace Chan, Maya Egan, Nicholas
Enbar-Salo, Yixiang Gao, Katie Jiang, Dayanie Mejia Cisneros, Sophie Nerine,
Jinglin Tan, Sabrina Teng, Zeyi Xiao, Jacky Zhao.
After a brief recess,
Superintendent Mulvey noted that preparations are underway to recognize the
accomplishments of the Class of 2023 on Monday, June 5 (Quincy High School)
and Tuesday, June 6 (North Quincy High School), both at 6:00 pm at Veterans
Memorial Stadium. Thanks to the Department of Natural Resources, the Quincy
Police Department, and the Public Buildings Department for their
collaboration on these events. We are looking forward to celebrating
with the graduates, their families, and the high school staff and
administrators.
Registration is now open for the
QPS Summer Programs and we’ve had a good response for both the invitation and
open enrollment programs. Information was emailed directly to Quincy
Public Schools parents and guardians via Aspen and the information is
displayed prominently on the Quincy Public Schools website and social media. In addition, the Quincy Police Department is
offering a free Youth Police Academy for 50 students entering Grade 8 the
week of July 24-28.
Recent Quincy Public Schools
events included the Quincy Multicultural Festival, a collaboration of Quincy
Public Schools and the Citywide Parent Council EDI Subcommittee was held this
past Saturday, May 13 at the Fore River Field. The event was attended
by hundreds of QPS students and families, who enjoyed the music and dance
performances, games and activities, and food that provided connections from
cultures all over the world. Special
thanks to the parent organizers, Erin Perkins, Maura Papile, Keith Segalla,
Kevin Segalla, the Family Liaisons, and the many volunteers who were part of
the planning of the event along with the support of the Department of Natural
Resources.
Many of our graduating seniors
from both high schools are the beneficiaries of generous scholarships, thanks
to the support of our local community members. On May 9, the Quincy Retired
Teachers Association presented 40 scholarships and yesterday, the Quincy
Rotary Club presented 30 scholarships. Each high school will also host
Scholarship events later in May and the dates of those events will be shared
with School Committee.
Upcoming Quincy Public Schools and
City of Quincy Events include: the QPS Robotics Challenge for
Grades 5-8, Saturday, May 20 at Quincy High School beginning at 10:00 am; Montclair
Elementary School May Festival, Saturday, May 20, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm; QPS
Community Fitness Night for students in Kindergarten through Grade 5,
Tuesday, May 23 at 6:00 pm at Veterans Memorial Stadium; the Quincy ArtsFest
is being held from May 13 to June 11 at the QArts Gallery in Quincy
Center. The ArtsFest will feature 170 pieces of artwork and photography
from Quincy Art Association members, local artists, and Quincy Public Schools
students. There will be a Welcome to Kindergarten parent event on
May 26 at Central Middle School and on Saturday, June 3 at 9:00 am, Point
Webster and Clifford Marshall PTOs will host a Family Fun Run & Wellness
Expo.
§
|
Superintendent’s
Report
|
|
Mayor
Koch presented the FY2024 City of Quincy budget to City Council on Monday,
May 15 and again tonight at School Committee, reviewing the priorities and
challenges, this budget reflects the values of the Quincy community. Quincy Public Schools makes up the largest
portion of the city budget, from the direct allocation of $127.5 million and portions
of the allocations within Public Buildings, the Department of Natural
Resources, Department of Public Works, and the Quincy Police and Fire
Departments. In addition, all employee
benefit costs are carried on the city side of the budget.
75%
of the city’s revenue comes from property taxes; other revenues are from
state aid and local receipts (fees, excise taxes). Mayor Koch thanked the local delegation for
their support of the city through the state budget and Congressman Lynch for
the federal dollars that have supported the city throughout the pandemic and
the post-pandemic.
The
Mayor reminded School Committee that they will meet in Subcommittee on
Monday, May 22 to discuss the specifics of the draft FY2024 Quincy Public
Schools budget.
§
|
New Business
City of Quincy
FY2024
Budget Overview
|
|
Superintendent
Kevin Mulvey, Assistant Superintendent Erin Perkins, and Director of Business
James Mullaney presented the draft FY2024 Quincy Public Schools budget. The proposed budget for FY2024 is
$134,639,644, an increase of $8,200,000 over the FY2023 budget. The Mayor’s appropriation is $127,539,644,
which includes an increase of $6.7 million (5.4%). Projected Circuit Breaker funding is
$7,100,000 (an increase of $1.5 million).
After reconciling contractual staff and level raises, retirements, and
higher costs to provide level services, there is $2,479,985 available for
program expansion.
Recommendations
include an expansion of four academic classroom teachers at North Quincy High
School (ELA, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies) to address class sizes due
to higher enrollment. For Academic
Programs, an additional 10.5 positions:
1.0 elementary ELL teacher; 2.0 Math Interventionists for Point
Webster and South~West Middle Schools; 1.0 elementary Music teacher; 1.0
Physical Education teacher for Quincy High School; 3.5 Special Education
Teachers (elementary CARES; NQHS Learning Center; Atlantic Middle School, 0.5
at Central Middle School); 2.0 Speech & Language Teachers to address
caseloads. For Academic Programs, 10
positions: 3.0 elementary Guidance
(Snug Harbor, Squantum, Atherton Hough); 1.0 elementary Occupational Therapy
to address caseloads; 5.0 Special Education paraprofessionals for CARES
classrooms. For Non-Academic Support,
the request is to increase the 0.5 Human Resources position to
full-time.
For
the revolving accounts, there are no recommendations to increase fees. For Food Services, all meals continue to be
offered at no cost with state subsidy. School building rentals are continuing
to recover from the pandemic. For
Transportation, all students are being transported without charge. Athletics fees are climbing back towards
pre-pandemic levels. For Academic
expenses, requesting increases in the supply line (increased cost of paper),
professional discretionary funds (to reflect contractual rate), musical
instruments and supplies. For
non-Academic expenses, increases in natural gas and electricity costs to
reflect current rates.
Mr.
Bregoli asked about Title 1 funding, Mr. Mullaney said there are 22 positions
from Lincoln Hancock, Clifford Marshall, Parker, and Snug Harbor funded
through the Title I grant. Mr. Bregoli
asked about the new CARES classroom, Ms. Perkins said this will be for
Pre-Kindergarten and will be located at either Point Webster or the Della
Chiesa Early Childhood Center.
Mr.
Bregoli asked about the completion of the DeCristofaro Learning Center. Mayor Koch said that the construction is
well underway and should be completed in Winter 2024. The building will be available for summer
programs in 2024.
Mrs.
Lebo asked about replacement of Chromebooks, Mr. Mullaney said many are still
under warranty and there is available ESSER funding to order
replacements. Superintendent Mulvey
said in-house technician Irvin Matos is refurbishing and repairing
Chromebooks to make the most of what we have available.
Mrs.
Lebo asked to review the ESSER funding and what positions will need to be
absorbed in the Quincy Public Schools budget in FY2025 and beyond.
Mr.
Gutro asked about space within North Quincy High School to add the four
teachers. Superintendent Mulvey said
Commissioner Hines will be collaborating with Principal Gilbert on
reconfiguring existing spaces. Mr.
Gutro asked for a review of building space concerns.
Mr.
Gutro asked about rentals of school building, Mr. Mullaney said there are
fewer rentals. It is self-supporting
but not generating excess revenues as it did in the past.
Mr.
Santoro asked for clarification about the per-pupil expenditures, Mr.
Mullaney said that certain expenses for physical plant are not included by
DESE in the calculation.
§
|
New Business
Draft QPS
FY2024
Budget
|
|
Career Vocational and Technical Education Executive Director
Keith Segalla, accompanied by Department Chairs Marianne Collins and Rebecca
McInnis presented the end of year update for the CVTE program. The 19 CVTE programs each have a Program
Advisory Team with 143 members from organized labor, business and industry,
post-secondary institutions, parents, students, and community members. The Program Advisory Teams collaborate with
instructors on program direction; safety; curriculum and standards; articulation
agreements; program improvements; budget recommendations; and share industry
trends and technologies.
The Perkins Grant allocation for 2022-2023 was $160,443 and
was allocated for safety certifications and credentials (just under 400
vouchers for courses); curriculum and educational software; professional
development/training; and an extensive list of specialized equipment (car
lift for Automotive; plasma cutter for Metal Fabrication; a mini-van for CVTE
student transportation at NQHS; new iMacs for Visual
Design/Communications). For the
Massachusetts Skills Capital Grant, Healthcare Technology received $238,000
and Electrical Technology received $167,400 for this past school year.
The Career Centers at North Quincy High School and Quincy
High School have expanded with the additional positions for Connecting
Activities Liaisons, CVTE Support Liaisons, and the ECHS Transition
Coaches. The Career Center staff also
coordinate with vocational trade opportunities, the armed forces,
non-traditional pathways. The liaisons
are expanding relationships with local unions, coordinating work-based
learning initiatives (internships, coops, and employment), and providing
opportunities for non-traditional career pathways.
CVTE Program Initiatives include Certified Nursing Assistant
Pinning Ceremony, Engineering Senior Capstone Project Presentations, the
recent Fashion Show, the Tiny House Project, National Business Honor Society
(largest chapter in North America).
Mrs. Cahill said that this a great array of options for
students, the leadership and excitement for the work they do is evident.
Mr. Bregoli asked if the new North Quincy High School van
will allow for the Broadcasting students to participate in internships at
QATV and Mr. Segalla confirmed.
Mr. Bregoli asked how many ROTC students enter the
military. Superintendent Mulvey will
follow up.
Mrs. Lebo thanked the Advisory Committee members, this is a
big voluntary time commitment. The
Career Centers and Liaisons are making a difference for our students. Mrs.
Lebo noted that the new CVTE frameworks are going to require OSHA
certification for all CVTE programs.
Mayor Koch said that it is so important to support the
interests of all the students, entering college directly after high school is
not the path for all students and the Career Liaisons are assisting students in
many ways.
§
|
New Business
CVTE Program
Update
|
|
School
Nutrition Director Sara Dufour and Food Waste Diversion Manager Finbar
Heaslip gave an overview of the pilot program launched at Quincy High School
in February. Two waste separation
stations are staffed by volunteers aided by signage encouraging students to
recycle, discard food waste, place unwanted food on the share table, and then
put anything remaining in the trash. To
date, almost 6,000 pounds of food waste have been diverted along with 4.25
tons of recycling.
Impediments
to full participation include the multiple locations for students to eat,
including outdoors; multiple exits from the cafeteria; and the limited number
of students who eat cafeteria lunch.
The Department of Public Works has collaborated to re-introduce
recycling pickup at the school and will provide a recycling dumpster. Educational initiatives include meeting
with the Green Team, participating in the Multi-Cultural Fair, presenting to
the Science National Honor Society, and visiting Grade 9 Science
classrooms.
The Food Waste Diversion program has been supported by
volunteers from the Wollaston Garden Club, the community, and will expand to
include members of the Quincy Council on Aging who wish to participate
through the Senior Worker Abatement Program (SWAP). The monitoring will need to continue and
expand in order to ensure the success of the program. The program will expand to North Quincy
High School in the fall, the goal is to eventually be in all Quincy Public
Schools buildings.
Mr. Gutro asked where the food waste goes. The Black Earth Company picks up on
Thursday and the material is transported to western Massachusetts and
processed for compost. Mr. Gutro asked
if there is integration with the Science curriculum, that process is
beginning.
Mayor Koch thanked Mrs. Lebo for her leadership and Ms.
Dufour for her initiative in replacing the Styrofoam trays. Mayor Koch pointed out that this pilot is
also good for the taxpayers of Quincy, reducing waste collection fees.
Mrs. Cahill said that the students seem in tune with the
environmental concerns about sustainability, thinks that elementary students
will rapidly adapt to this way of managing their lunch waste.
Mrs. Lebo said there are 17 volunteers and they are
impressed with the students, there is a positive atmosphere, welcoming to the
volunteers.
§
|
New Business
Food Waste
Diversion
Pilot Program
Update
|
|
There was no Additional Business.
§
|
Additional
Business
|
|
Mr.
Santoro noted that the last Regular School Committee meeting of the school
year is scheduled for June 14, 2023 at 6:30 pm at the Coddington
Building. Upcoming Subcommittee
meetings include the FY2024 Budget & Finance Subcommittee on Monday, May
22, 2023 at 6:00 pm, followed by Facilities, Security &
Transportation. On May 31, 2023 there
will be a hearing for the FY2024 Quincy Public Schools Budget, followed by
Special Education and Teaching & Learning Subcommittees.
Mrs.
Lebo asked about scheduling the MASC Workshop to set goals.
§
|
Communications
|
|
There
were no Reports of Subcommittees.
§
|
Reports of
Subcommittees
|
|
Mr. Bregoli made a
motion to move to Executive Session for the Purpose of Contract Negotiations
at 8:35 pm. Mrs. Lebo seconded the
motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 7-0. School Committee will not return to Regular
Session.
§
|
Executive
Session
|
|
Since School
Committee did not return from Executive Session, the Regular Meeting was
adjourned at 8:35 p.m.
§
|
Adjournment
|