GARDNER SCHOOL COMMITTEE Regular Meeting March 13, 2017 City Council Chambers 95 Pleasant Street, Gardner, Massachusetts Members present: Mayor Mark Hawke, Chairman; Robert Swartz, Vice Chairman; Anne Hurst, Secretary; James Abare, John LaFreniere, Jennifer Pelavin, and Melody Phelps Student Representative present: Camden Kulczyk School Personnel present: Mark J. Pellegrino, Superintendent, Ms. Terri Hillman Recording Secretary; Dr. Catherine Goguen, Chief Academic Officer; Robert Detweiler, Business Administrator; Mrs. Susan Hui, Grants Administrator; Ms. Joyce West, Director of Pupil Personnel Services; Ms. Paula Bolger, Principal, Gardner High School; Mr. David Fredette, Principal, Elm Street School; Mr. Timothy J. McCormick, Principal, Gardner Academy for Learning; and Mr. F. Daniel Hill, Principal, Waterford Street School Also present: Dr. Stephen Hemman, Consultant to the Superintendent for the school building project; Michael Nicholson, Executive Assistant to Mayor Hawke; Boy Scouts Troop 4 of Holy Spirit Church, working on their Citizen in the Community Badge Call to Order Mayor Hawke, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 7 pm. The meeting opened with a roll call and the pledge of allegiance. The meeting was broadcast live on Channel 8 television. Appointment of School Committee Subcommittees Mr. Swartz presented the following appointments to the Subcommittees. Finance Facilities Transportation Policy John LaFreniere James Abare * John LaFreniere * Anne Hurst Robert Swartz * John LaFreniere James Abare Melody Phelps * Jennifer Pelavin Robert Swartz James Abare Superintendent Evaluation GEA Negotiations Local 1717 Robert Swartz * Robert Swartz James Abare * Melody Phelps Melody Phelps Robert Swartz Anne Hurst Jennifer Pelavin NOTE: * Denotes Chairperson of Subcommittee AA Council James Abare
Page 2 Open Time for the General Public Mrs. Theresa Thompson spoke to the Committee about the Backpack Program in the schools and distributed photos of the newly organized food pantry at GALT. Recognition by the Superintendent Mr. Pellegrino recognized the following: Vincent Kotowski Teacher at the Middle School- work with Student Council Justin Nguyen GHS Freshman Perfect score in AP Geography exam Consent Agenda Mr. LaFreniere moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented: Approval of regular meeting of January 4, 2017 Approval of following Warrants: #17-26 dated 12/29/16, in the of amount of $285,313.65 #17-27 dated 1/5/17 in the of amount of $78,626.30 #17-28 dated 1/12/17, in the of amount of $80,719.62 #17-29 dated 1/19/17, in the of amount of $200,270.67 #17-30 dated 1/26/17, in the of amount of $38,273.21 #17-31 dated 2/2/17, in the of amount of $167,175.14 #17-32 dated 2/9/17, in the of amount of $171,026.76 #17-33 dated 2/16/17, in the of amount of $226,531.11 #17-34 dated 2/23/17, in the of amount of $78,526.15 #17-35 dated 3/2/17, in the of amount of $361,651.88 Approval of Out-of-State Field trip for Gardner Middle School 7 th graders to Canobie Lake Park, Salem NH June 8, 2017 Approval of Overnight Field Trip for Gardner High School baseball team March 25 26, 2017 to Mashpee, MA Donations Women's Circle of Giving for GHS Weekend Backpack Program $5,950 Anonymous donation for the RISE program at GHS $1,300 Mass MNEP Technology needs for GALT $24,896.10 Anonymous donation to WSS and GALT $281.23 Seconded by Mr. Swartz.
Page 3 Student Advisory Board Camden Kulczyk, Student Representative, presented his report on activities at GHS. The Winter Fun Week took place from February 13-17 capped off by a pep rally. The All-City Choral concert took place on February 16. The Little Oscar Awards took place on March 1. Progress reports were issued for the 3 rd term. On March 5, the Cheering Team won and qualified for the State competition. There will be a Student Council sponsored blood drive on March 14. Emma! the musical is being showcased on March 16-18. Full practice for all spring sports will begin on March 20. ELA MCAS will take place on March 21-23. The Mr. GHS pageant will take place on March 23. The March Madness dodge ball tournament will be happening on March 28. Subcommittee Reports Finance Subcommittee Mr. Swartz, Chairperson, said that the Finance Subcommittee met on January 10, 2017 and March 7, 2017. Minutes of both meetings were presented. At the January meeting the December Expense Report was discussed. Mr. Detweiler presented an alternate model for presenting the budget. The Finance Subcommittee unanimously decided to proceed with the presentation by function. At the March meeting, the February Expense Report was discussed and specific line times were addressed. Facilities Subcommittee Mr. Abare, Chairperson, said that the Facilities Subcommittee met on January 17, 2017 and February 28, 2017. Minutes of both meetings were presented. At the January 17 meeting Mr. Swartz reported on the biweekly meeting with Honeywell. The first Waterford Street School boiler is up and running and the second boiler will be removed next week. The generator at the High School is on propane and the ceiling fans and lights have been completed. Capital projects were approved and re-prioritized as follows: Elm St. School Main Electrical Disconnect and Distribution Box Middle School Outdoor Lighting Control Middle School Steam Kettle Replacement High School Emergency Generator Elm St. School Emergency Generator
Page 4 At the February 28 meeting the MSBA Project Approval for a new school building was discussed. Mayor Hawke will form a building committee to begin the planning process. Mr. Swartz updated the subcommittee on the Honeywell Project. Mr. McCormick reported on recent improvements to the Prospect Street School (GALT). Policy Subcommittee Mrs. Phelps, Chairperson, said that the Policy Subcommittee met on January 25, 2017. Minutes of the meeting were presented. The Subcommittee has reviewed the entire Policy Book and will start to review the policies again for any possible changes. If no changes are required, the policies will be updated as reviewed in the respective month. Several policies were approved for a first reading and will be presented in Item #2817. DISCUSSION ITEMS Item #2817 Policies for a First Reading Mrs. Phelps presented the following policies as approved by the Policy Subcommittee for a first reading: ADF Local Wellness Policy BBBE Unexpired Term Fulfillment/Vacancies JJD Athletics AC Nondiscrimination GBA Equal Opportunity Employment GBBA Harassment GBE Civil Rights GCE Professional Staff Recruiting /Posting of Vacancies GCF Professional Staff Hiring IJ Instructional Materials JB Equal Educational Opportunities JFBB School Choice JKD-R Student Suspension/Expulsion Procedures Item #2818 - Annual Calendar Review Mr. Swartz moved that the School Committee vote to approve Version 2 of the Gardner Public School District 2017-2018 School Calendar with a start date of August 30, 2017. Seconded by Mrs. Phelps. Item #2819 Gardner High School Program of Studies The Gardner High School Program of Studies for 2017-2018 was presented for the Committee's review. It will be voted on at the April 10, 2017 meeting.
Page 5 Item #2820 2015-2016 FLLAC Annual Report and FY 2016 Financial Statements The FLLAC Annual report for 2015-2016 and the FY2016 Financial Statements were presented for information and were accepted by the Committee. Item #2821 Williams-Rockwell Educational Gift Fund Update Mayor Hawke presented a report of the first round of disbursements from the Williams- Rockwell Educational Gift Fund The Arts received 54% ($26,774.73) in awards and 46% ($22,615.15) was awarded to the General category, for a total distribution of $49,359.88. He also presented a list of those who received the grants from the fund. Item #2822 MSBA Project Update Stephen R. Hemman, Ed. D, Consultant to the Superintendent, for the MSBA Project, gave an update on the project. Mr. LaFreniere moved that the Gardner School Committee vote to approve the Initial Compliance Certification (ICC) from the Massachusetts School Building Authority dated February 15, 2017 and to authorize the Superintendent of Schools and the Chair of the School Committee to sign the ICC. Seconded by Mrs. Pelavin. Item #2823 - Business Administrator's Update Budget Mr. Detweiler, Business Administrator, presented the Gardner Public Schools FY 2018 Budget. He asked School Committee members to read the report and contact him with questions. He will keep the Committee members updated on changes to the proposed budget. Item #2824 Superintendent's Update A letter from Mark Pellegrino, Superintendent of Schools, was included in the Budget report. Item #2825 Waterford Street School Principal Update Daniel Hill, Principal of Waterford Street School, gave a PowerPoint presentation on the data analysis collected on the Professional Development day conducted on February 10, 2017. Teacher teams analyzed their assigned DIBELS data and created action plans for improved reading performance. Individual teachers analyzed their most recent math assessments and created math action plans based on their analysis. Item #2826 Curriculum Coordinator's Update The Curriculum Coordinator's Update was included in the packets. Dr. Goguen was present to answer questions.
Page 6 Item #2827 Special Education Update The Special Education Update was included in the packets. Ms. West was present to answer questions. Item #2828 - Grants Administrator s Update The Grants Administrator's Update was included in the packet. Mrs. Hui was present to answer questions. FINAL COMMENTS OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE Mr. Abare spoke about the proposed budget and the need for funding for athletics and academics. Mrs. Hurst spoke about Net School Spending and need for funding to keep students with special needs in the District. She attended a Legislative Breakfast on March 3 and many of the attendees spoke about this issue. On March 21 there will be a meeting at Oakmount Understanding the Budget. She attended a Summit On Poverty at Clark University on March 10. Four students who came from poverty spoke about their lives and their graduation from Ivy League colleges. Mrs. Pelavin said the proposed budget will be on the website and encouraged everyone to attend the information session on March 21. Mrs. Phelps wished Mrs. Hui the very best on her upcoming retirement. She thanked Mayor Hawke for starting a dialogue with other schools. She participated in the recent Read Across America Day in the local schools. Mr. LaFreniere thanked Mr. McCormick and Mrs. Thompson for setting up the food pantry program at GALT. There is a need to donate to the program. He also spoke about Fitness Concept and their allowing GALT students to have a special time to use their entire facility. Mr. Swartz enjoyed Pirates and is looking forward to Emma!'. He thanked all the people who are helping to run the backpack program in the schools. He spoke about the inadequate funding for Chapter 70. There is a need for legislators to provide more funding for Chapter 70. He attended the Summit On Poverty at Clark University and said it was very beneficial Mayor Hawke welcomed Superintendent Pellegrino. He commented on the letter he sent to Monty Tech regarding the District Agreement. He thanked Mrs. Thompson for the food pantry at GALT, commented on the Rotary Auction, participated in the Read Across America Day, and recognized the members of Boy Scout Troop 4 who attended the meeting tonight.
Page 7 ADJOURNMENT Mr. Swartz moved to adjourn. Seconded by Mrs. Pelavin. The meeting adjourned at 8:55 pm. Anne Hurst, Secretary Terri Hillman Recording Secretary