Town of Carver, MA - SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES 8-14-06

Administrative Leadership Team continues to work very hard to make the transition smooth and welcoming to the Superintendent. Under the leadership of the Retreat Planning Committee (Matt Gillis, Scott Knief, Lisa Roe and Candy Weiler), the ALT Retreat was an outstanding success.

All newly hired staff, resignations, and transfers were reported. As well as the announcement that due to personal reasons, Glenda Cresto, has resigned her appointment as Assistant High School Principal before she was able to begin her job. The position has been re-posted/advertised and Scott Knief, Principal, will reconvene the interview team.

The School Building Authority (SBA) is re-organizing itself and has released a draft of the new regulations for the planning, renovating, and building new schools in Massachusetts. The draft includes some very specific requirements for Building Committee. Matt Gillis and the Superintendent have been meeting to review this information. During this transition, specific people are to be represented on this building committee. We are working with Frank Muscato, Chair and Selectboard and Kingscott & Associates to begin the process. The next step will be to submit a Statement of Interest by July 2007.

Concession Stand: During the past week, Mike Mendosa, Building Inspector toured the building along with Matt Gillis, Director of Business and Finance, Mike Schultz, Director of Athletics, Scott Knief, High School Principal and Paul McDonald, Director of Facilities to review items remaining on the “to-do” list in order to receive an occupancy permit. Some plumbing needs to be done, ramp brought up to code for ADA rules, and a few minor shingles, etc. and the Health Inspector needs to sign off as well. Once the items are completed and the permit is granted, the school can then formally vote to accept this generous gift at which time the building will be officially the School Department’s responsibility to maintain. The anticipated time frame would suggest the building will be ready by mid-September.

Feasibility of High School Fitness Room Renovation Project: The project is in the conceptual stages. The committee felt it would be best to complete the Concession Stand before moving toward this project. The time commitment would be approximately 6-8 weeks of time, however, the start of the project is probably postponed till the end of the school year. Approximately $7500-$8000 has been allocated from the Boosters Club for this project but specifics as to how the money would be disbursed needs additional discussion.

Power Surge at Primary Schools: On July 28, 2006 approximately at 4:10 p.m. there was a power surge which knocked out our well pump and four of our roof-top systems. As of August 9^th, two units were repaired but two still need large replacement parts. They should be repaired by August 11^th. Our insurance company has been contacted and we will place a claim against NStar who has been determined liable. Approximate costs: $1900 for well, roof-top units, $2000 for first two, and could go up to $10,000 for additional units.

Administrative Retreat for Administrators was held with the topic of Change. High Performance Team tenets were reviewed and a full day of discussion with leadership consultant, John D’Auria was held to further develop Professional Learning Communities and the role of supervision and evaluation. Collaborative work was done on the District Improvement Plan.

Professional development opportunities were offered for teachers during the summer. The district is required to offer a free path to re-certification. Mary Kaminski had a resident inquire about taking advantage of these opportunities and it was noted this was absolutely encouraged and the information for professional development workshops, etc will be posted on website, cable, and newspaper as well as placed in Public Library.

F. EEE/West Nile Update: A letter, co-authored by the Superintendent, the Health Inspector, Bob Tinkham and Mike Schultz, Director of Athletics has been prepared advising parents/guardians about the situation with EEE/West Nile Virus. Due to the situation, the Massachusetts state environmental and health official ordered the first aerial spraying in sixteen years. This letter will be sent home with all students as school opens. The school department will continue to monitor the situation and take action as the situation evolves.

G. Opening of School Information -- District events, School calendar were distributed. The new teacher orientation will be held on Tuesday August 23^rd. New teachers will be joined by their mentors, have building orientation, attend technology and department orientation and conclude their day with a bus tour of Carver. A revitalized Mentoring program under the supervision of the Superintendent and Candy Weiler, Primary Principal, and Janet O’Connor, Elementary Assistant Principal is planned. A lead mentor has been appointed at each building along with personal mentors for each new staff. New staff are required to have 100 hours of mentoring over a period of 3 years so they can achieve their professional license. Monthly meetings will be held. Curriculum Leadership Team will meet for a full day workshop on August 21, 2006 and will continue to focus their work on continuous improvement of teaching and learning in Carver through specific goals. In addition to this on-going work, the CLT will appoint two curriculum task force groups to study the current and future needs of Foreign Language and Music.

From a summary sheet for end of Fy06, a balance of $14,805 was returned back to the Town for free cash or transfer from stabilization. Last year we returned $28,000. Mr. Gillis was commended for his budget direction. Randy asked if the school department was audited each year and Matt indicated by federal law, we are audited by a private CPA firm. It is an audit of the town and the school department end of year reports to the Department of Education are also audited. Details for major acquisitions were also reviewed. Al Spicer complimented the Business Office and Technology Department for the process and care in obtaining these acquisitions. Liz Sorrell commended Matt Gillis for his work in locking in the natural gas prices for the next two years for both the school and the town.

A. Book Disposal – There are two groups of books, history and science text books which are out of date and are taking up valuable storage space. Currently, there is no written policy for the disposal of these items. The superintendent recommended a policy for disposal of tangible items be brought to the school committee for a first reading in September and a second reading and vote in October and then recommend to follow that policy. There are also several other policies that need will need review this fall. Matt Gillis attempted to gather bids for the books, however, there was no interest. Liz Sorrell recommended the old books be donated to any tax exempt organization. Mary Kaminski made a motion to approve, second by Al Spicer. Approved unanimously.

B. Computer Disposal – a listing of computers in the district which are obsolete and/or beyond repair was provided with specific details. Liz Sorrell suggested the removal/disposal of these computers according to MGL, Chapter 30B, Section15. Lisa Roe and her staff were thanked for troubleshooting these machines and providing this extensive list. Randy Webster made mode to approve disposal of computers, Mary Kaminski second. Approved unanimously.

C. Foreign Language Lab – Liz Sorrell recommended approval of changes to acquisition list from warrant article #30 for High School Language Lab. Originally the furniture was to be replaced, however, the current furniture was modified to work with new technology. The work has been completed and school committee indicated their desire to visit the refurbished lab. Recommendation approved.

D. Handicapped Accessible Van – Matt Gillis secured bids for the purchase of a handicapped van. Recommendation to award bid for purchase of 2005 up- fitted van for the price of $29,949.00 from New England Wheels (Warrant Article #24). Mary Kaminski made motion to accept bid, Al Spicer second. Approved unanimously.

E. District Improvement Plan – At the School Committee and Administrators leadership retreat, a district improvement plan was formulated. A final version was submitted for acceptance at this meeting including our missions, goals, continuous improvement for teaching and learning, professional development, organizational development, and finance and facilities. The plan will be reviewed and reported on by building administrators throughout the school year. Mary Kaminski made motion to adopt the District Improvement Plan for Carver Public Schools, Al Spicer second. Approved unanimously. Copies will be placed in Public Library for community access.

F. Acceptance of Building Renovation – HS/MS Addition -- We are in the process of the final audit for the Carver High School/Middle School addition. One of the requirements is a vote of the School Committee to formally accept the project. It has come to the attention of the Superintendent, that as far as we can ascertain from a review of School Committee minutes on file back to 2001, there seems to be an oversight in not voting for that specific purpose.

The auditors would be satisfied if we now took this vote. A motion was made by Mary Kaminski to officially accept the High School/Middle School addition. Randy Webster second. Approved unanimously. A verbal role call was taken four in favor, one absent and motion was signed.

G. Pilgrim Area Collaborative: In June, Liz Sorrell was voted to be the representative to the Pilgrim Area Collaborative. Although the superintendent is glad to attend, the recommendation is made to officially appoint Maureen Gaughan, Director of Special Education as the representative from Carver Public Schools to attend these monthly meetings. This recommendation is because the group is primarily Special Education Directors and School Committee volunteers. Randy Webster made motion to approve appointment of Maureen Gaughan, Al Spicer second. Approved unanimously.

Randy Webster brought up the topic of disposal of items, vis-à-vis an internal policy for the process of teaching materials being stored by staff, how long items can be kept and how much space can be used. Liz offered to bring the topic to the Administrative Leadership Team and will report back in October.