Town of Carver, MA - SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES -8/18/2008

Helen Bradbury, Director of Christopher Donovan Center, wanted to clarify the center was seeking approval under the compulsory attendance law and not as a DOE approved school. She also indicated the reason the Center is operating in Carver rather than another town is it has been established in the memory of her son, Christopher, was a student of Carver Public Schools.

II. Comments from EAPC – Mike Riordan expressed his concerns that the teachers will start a new school year without a signed contract for the first time in 15 years. He is hopeful that the next meeting on August 27^th will result in an agreement of both parties. He also reiterated the concerns of the state proposal -question 1 to cut income taxes which will directly impact all services including education. He asked for the school committee’s assistance to educate the community, perhaps through a public service announcement on cable, regarding this initiative. The superintendent will meet with Mr. Riordan to cooperate with this request.

III. Update by Student Advisory & Captains Council– No student reps attended this meeting. School not yet in session, new reps will be appointed. Sports practices have started today. Night games are still underway; currently no bans have been imposed.

A. Ben Ellis School – Two news articles from the Carver Reporter were presented regarding the meeting at Ben Ellis School, chaired by selectmen Dick Ward in order to get community input for the best use of this historical building.

B. Putnam Investments – A thank you letter was sent to Putnam Investments for their generous donation of office furniture and equipment. Shari Fedorowicz, HS Science Dept. Chair, was instrumental in acquiring this donation. Many offices and classrooms now have this equipment moved in for use as school opens. Al Spicer made a motion to accept this gift, Paul Kibbe second All in favor.

C. Boston University Law School– A thank you letter was sent to B.U. for their generous donation of computers. Most have been placed in high/middle school classrooms. Paula Kibbe made a motion to accept this gift, Al Spicer second. All in favor.

D. Cranberry Crossing Day Care – the letter and response from Cranberry Crossing relative to the transportation (bus) change for the upcoming school year was discussed. The owners of the school. Robert Doyle and Lynn Demeo are concerned because for the initial start of school we are unable to accommodate different drop-off and pick up spots. Due to synchronizing the time for the primary and elementary schools, one bus route was eliminated which means most of our buses are at capacity so we need to make sure we meet all our obligations of transporting the children of the district before we can make any special arrangements. They were concerned it was putting a hardship on parents. This will be re-visited during the first month of school.

A. Recognitions: The ALT retreat was held at Craigville Conference Center on 7/30-8/1. The superintendent thanked the retreat committee: Laura Tilton and Lynn Bastoni for organizing the intensive professional development and fellowship. Kathy Spencer, former HS principal has been hired to work with the team on advanced skills in supervision and evaluation. Also the team will be using the book, A Whole New Mind, by Daniel Pink as a resource for the concept of 21^st century global learning skills. Maureen Gaughan, Director of Special Education received her doctoral degree and Scott Knief, HS Principal is the proud dad of a new son and Christine Cabral, MS Assistant Principal is the proud mom of a new daughter.

B. Personnel: The following resignations were accepted: Clare Brady, HS Math; Sasha Buck, Bus Driver; Carole Caldarone, HS Language Teacher; Nikki Connors, Food Services; Kevin Cyr, HS Assistant Principal; Kathy Lunetta, Food Services and Eileen Murray, Speech/Language Pathologist.

New Personnel: Christina Centrella, Lunchroom Monitor; Ashlee Coelho, Special Ed Home ABA; Tracey Dilks, Paraprofessional; Elizabeth Dimick, HS Special Ed; Julie Dore, HS Foreign Language; Jonathan Evans, HS Assistant Principal; Paula Foley, Interim Associate Principal, GJC; Melissa Gray, HS/MS School Psychologist; Mellenie Lanoue, Paraprofessional.

Also: new kindergarten aides: Sharon Asam, Karen Bray, Michaela Callahan, Lisa Dishaw, Sheila Flores, Christine Francis, Susan Hannon, Cheryl Hermenau, Cheryl Kaufman, Holly Kisbach, Christine McCarron, Julie Parsons, Holly Rudnick, and Heather Staples

Scott Knief introduced Jon Evans as his new assistant principal having returned to Carver after one year as an assistant principal with Dighton-Rehoboth school district. Candy Weiler introduced Paula Foley, who has been appointed as the Interim Associate Principal of the Governor John Carver Elementary School as the primary and elementary school move forward as one building.

D. Summer Professional Development – Laura Tilton gave a summary of the professional development during summer 2008. Highlights included: training for all kindergarten teachers and paraprofessionals on Everyday Math, DIBELS, SmartBoard, ERI and Scott Foresman literacy; Elementary and Primary teachers trained on Tier 3 adoption and phonics; twenty-two teachers trained for over a combined 270 hours on curriculum revision and development, members of the administrative leadership team attended Observing and Analyzing Teaching; Smart Board training for middle school math staff; Glencoe Middle School math curriculum training; and over 30 teachers participated in a variety of courses across the state and the U.S.

E. ImPACT Concussion Program – Michael Schultz, Director of Athletics and Comprehensive Health, gave a presentation of the newly acquired ImPACT Concussion Program. ImPACT is a computerized software program. Exams are administered to students to properly diagnose and manage concussions. The results of these tests will be kept by the Athletic Department and will be evaluated by the student’s local doctor, and Dr. Jane Kent, a neuro-psychologist at South Shore Hospital. The program was developed by a team of physicians and neuron-psychologists at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Parents/guardians will need to sign a permission slip for students to participate in the program. The varsity football team will be the first sports team to use the program. The Superintendent thanked Mr. Schultz for his work in bringing this program to Carver.

F. Updates of Negotiations – Working conditions/contract for bus drivers was presented to the School Committee. No discussion. Paula Kibbe made a motion to approve the contract as written, Al Spicer second. All in favor. Also, faculty and custodial units will meet next week and hopefully mutual decisions will be made.

G. End of Year - FY’08 Finance Report – Matt Gills gave a summary of the financial statements for fiscal year ending June 30, 2008. The school department lived within their operating budget of $20,740,698 and ended the school year with a positive General Fund balance. There were two primary reasons that the school department was able to end the year in very good financial condition. First because operating expenditures came in under budget and second, because the Town’s actual operating budget revenue was enough to cover expenses. The School Department receives its funds from the town through Chapter 70 Aide and through local property taxes. Mr. Gillis extended his appreciation to the business office staff, Linda Dorgan and Tammy Veracka for their dedication to details.

H. MSBA Update – the newly formed School Building Committee has been approved by the MSBA. The first meeting will be Monday, August 25^th at 4pm in the HS/MS Upper Library. The public is invited to attend.

I. Consolidation of Primary and Elementary Schools – Due to the consolidation of the primary and elementary schools as one building, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requires us to register the school under one name. The superintendent opened discussion as to the process of selecting the new name before a final decision is made. Historic information was provided to the committee on how the school’s came to have their current titles. Initially, the school was the Carver Consolidated Elementary School. Most of the committee expressed an interest in keeping the names of Erwin K. Washburn and Governor John Carver as the campus titles. A community forum was suggested to garner ideas for names. Candy Weiler and Paula Foley noted the students and community could suggest and vote on the name and tie the process into the upcoming presidential election.

J. Opening of School Information – Faculty will arrive on Monday, August 25^th for opening ceremonies. School opens for all children grades 1-12 on Tuesday, August 26^th. Full day kindergarten will start on September 2^nd and Pre-School starts on September 4^th and 8^th. Friday, August 29^th and Monday, September 1^st are days off for students and faculty. Letters were mailed to parent/guardians for their children’s classroom placement.

Ms. Bradbury, owner and administrator of the CDC, addressed the committee to clarify a couple of points. She re-iterated she was requesting approval under the General Law of c76-1 and is not requesting the Carver School Committee’s approval as a “DOE approved school” but rather a means for children to attend the private school without violating the compulsory attendance law. The CDC currently services 8 students, a sole source placement. She also noted she felt the curriculum being used at the CDC is currently being used at several area schools.

Mary Kaminski explained to Ms. Bradbury the committee appreciated her commitment to her program, however, the committee was given a responsibility, with a specific checklist, to visit the school which was done on two occasions. After a second visit was made to the school, the team re-evaluated the thorough criteria checklist as suggested by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education including philosophy, physical plant, curriculum, educational materials, school staff, student services and financial support. The Superintendent and visiting team do not recommend approval of the Christopher Donovan Center as a private school to operate within the Carver School District. A motion was made not to approve the school by Al Spicer, second by Barry Struski. All in favor.

B. Stoneman, Chandler & Miller – The superintendent recommends the school committee accept the terms of the new three year agreement for legal fees from the firm of Stoneman, Chandler and Miller. Al Spicer made a motion to approve the contract and retainer amounts for Stoneman, Chandler and Miller for FY’09-FY’11. Paula Kibbe second. All in favor.

C. Rescind the Vote to Charge Pre-School Tuition 2008-2009 – The superintendent recommends that the school committee rescind the vote to charge pre-school tuition for the 2008-2009 school year. We currently have a nominal tuition but by charging we cannot count the students as a “head-count” for Chapter 70 money. By not charging tuition, the school will receive increased Chapter 70 allocation money for each student. Motion to rescind the vote to charge Pre-School Tuition made by Al Spicer, second by Barry Struski. All in favor.

E. Request to Recycle Computer Equipment - The technology department submitted a request to retire/recycle specific computers prior to the start of the 2008-2009 school year and the superintendent supports their request. Motion to recycle computer equipment was made by Barry Struski, second by Paula Kibbe. All in favor.

VII. Reports from the School Committee – Mary Kaminski offered kudos to Matt Gillis and Liz Sorrell for their excellent work on the budget and to Matt for his diligent efforts in locking in gas prices. Also, Mary offered praise to the Dave Siedentopf, Director of Facilities and his custodial staff for their great work in preparing the buildings for another school opening and to Russell Mazzilli, the new groundskeeper for making the out building and grounds look so attractive. It was noted that volunteers from the state forest crew also assisted.

Mary Kaminski asked for motion, by roll call, to move to Executive Session for the purpose of discussing contract negotiations, not to return to Open Session. Barry Struski made the motion, Al Spicer second. By role call, all approved.