Minutes - Wayland School Committee
Regular Session May 9, 2011
A Regular Session of the Wayland School
Committee was held on Monday, May 9, 2011 at 6:30 P.M. in the School
Committee Room of the Wayland Town Building.
Present were:
Mrs. Barb Fletcher, Acting Chair
Dr. Malcolm Astley
Ms. Beth Butler
Mrs. Ellen Grieco (arrived at 6:43)
Dr. Shawn Kinney (arrived at 6:40)
Also:
Dr. Gary A. Burton
Superintendent of Schools
Mr. Brad J. Crozier
Assistant Superintendent
Mr. Geoffrey S. MacDonald
Business Administrator
Dr. Marlene M. Dodyk
Director of Student Services
Acting Chair Barb Fletcher convened the regular
meeting at 6:36 P.M. Mrs. Fletcher announced that the Committee would
hear a grievance brought by the Custodial Union in Executive Session and
would return to Open Session for the regular matters.
1. Executive Session:
Upon a motion duly made by Ms. Butler, seconded by Dr. Astley, the
School Committee voted unanimously (3-0) to convene in Executive
Session at 6:38 P.M. to conduct a hearing pertaining to a custodial
grievance, as set forth in Section 21(a)(1) of G.L. Ch. 30A.
A roll call vote was taken as follows:
|
Roll Call
Mrs. Barb Fletcher, Vice Chair
Dr. Malcolm Astley
Ms. Beth Butler
|
Yes
X
X
X
|
No
|
The Acting Chair announced that they would reconvene in Regular Session following the adjournment of the Executive Session.
2. Meeting with High School Student Leaders:
The School Committee met with the following WHS students: Lena
Cowen, Student Council President, Dan Kim, Student Council Vice
President, Dan Hong, Student Council Treasurer, Zoe Corner, Student
Council Secretary, Lauren Colwell, Senior Class President. The
students answered questions posed by the School Committee members.
3. School Choice Hearing:
Resolution on School Choice
Whereas the Education Reform Act of 1993
requires the enrollment of non-resident students under the School Choice
provision unless the Committee votes by June 1 not to participate, and
Whereas the School Choice provision takes money away from the sending district and awards it to the receiving district, and
MINUTES – WAYLAND SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Regular Session – May 9, 2011
Whereas Wayland’s per pupil expenditure is
greater than the maximum allowable reimbursement, which means Wayland
taxpayers would subsidize each choice student, and
Whereas once Wayland accepts a pupil, it must
keep the pupil through graduation even though Wayland’s demographic
situation might change considerably, and
Whereas it is possible that a number of
students could return to their sending districts or otherwise leave
Wayland, thus creating a potential income loss, now hereby be it.
Resolved that the Wayland School Committee
respectfully declines to participate in the choice program with the
provision that should surrounding school districts subsequently and
prior to June 1 decide to accept the provisions of School Choice, the
Wayland School Committee reserves the right to do likewise in order to
protect its fiduciary interest in this matter.
The School Committee asked for input from
those in attendance re: the School Choice Hearing. There was none.
The School Committee closed the hearing.
Upon a motion duly made by Ms. Butler,
seconded by Dr. Kinney, the School Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to
support the resolution not to participate in School Choice for FY12.
4. Comments and Written Statements from the Public:
Anna Maria V. spoke about her concerns related to the possible
impacts on the Middle School curriculum if the soccer fields are built
on the middle school site. She advocated that the School Committee
champion the educational needs of the students, and she submitted
questions related to the process and school committee involvement in the
proposal for the middle school fields.
Brud Wright outlined the steps in the process for the middle school soccer fields proposal.
Betsey Brigham asked if all school department properties were considered for possible fields.
Sheila Carell asked the School Committee to
consider the students’ educational welfare when considering the changes
to the Middle School site.
5. Discussion re: Middle School Soccer Fields:
Mrs. Fletcher reviewed the status of the School Committee’s role
in the process for the possible middle school soccer fields. The
School Committee discussed their role in the approval process and Dr.
Astley informed the members of the important dates in the process.
Committee members should submit questions to
Dr. Astley for the upcoming meetings. The Committee consensus was to
continue to let the process continue and review the progress on an
ongoing basis.
6. Discussion re: NESDEC Report:
Dr. Burton reviewed the NESDEC Enrollment Report and answered questions from School Committee members.
7. Approval of 2012-2013 School Calendar:
The School Committee reviewed the proposed 2012-2013 school calendar.
Upon a motion duly made by Mrs. Grieco,
seconded by Ms. Butler, the School Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to
approve the draft calendar.
8. Reorganization and Election of Officers:
Dr. Burton opened the floor for nominations for Chair.
Upon a motion duly made by Ms. Butler, seconded
by Mrs. Grieco, Mrs. Fletcher was nominated for Chair of the School
Committee, and the School Committee voted 4-0 (Mrs. Fletcher abstained)
to approve the nomination.
Upon a motion duly made by Dr. Astley,
seconded by Mrs. Grieco, Ms. Butler was nominated for Vice Chair of the
School Committee, and the School Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to
approve the nomination.
Dr. Astley declined the nomination for Vice Chair.
9. Approval of Accounts Payable and Payroll Warrants:
Mr. MacDonald answered questions from the School Committee.
Upon a motion duly made by Dr. Astley,
seconded by Dr. Kinney, the School Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to
approve payment of the following:
• Wayland Public Schools Payroll warrant, dated 5/5/2011, in the amount of $1,047,622.13
• Wayland Public Schools Accounts Payable warrant, dated 5/5/2011, in the amount of $398,132.12
Dr. Kinney asked for year-to-date accounts for non-personnel.
10. Acceptance of Gifts:
Upon a motion duly made by Dr. Kinney, seconded by Dr. Astley,
the School voted unanimously (5-0) to accept the following gift with
gratitude to the Wayland Public Schools:
• A donation a 10’ Zodiac Inflatable and Tohatsu motor for the Wayland High School Sailing Team from Jordan Busch, Wayland.
11. Approval of Minutes:
Upon a motion duly made by Ms. Butler, seconded by Dr. Astley,
the School Committee voted (4-0) (Dr. Kinney abstained) to approve the
following minutes:
• Regular Session of April 25, 2011 (as amended)
• Executive Session of April 25, 2011 (as amended)
12. Superintendent’s Report continued:
No report by Dr. Burton.
13. Follow-up and Future Agenda Items:
(a) Bus Fees:
Mrs. Fletcher suggested that the School Committee vote on the bus
fee suggested by the administration, given that three of the members
had now filed the appropriate disclosure form with the Town Clerk.
Upon a motion duly made by Ms. Butler,
seconded by Dr. Kinney, the School Committee voted (4-0) (Mrs. Grieco
abstained) to support the admin recommendation for bus fees (without the
removal of the family cap).
(b) Review of ORC and Support for Accountant/Analyst:
The Chair reviewed the status of the ORC and the possible recommendation. Dr. Burton recommended hiring
an Accountant/Analyst to support Geoff MacDonald.
Upon a motion duly made by Dr. Kinney, seconded by Dr. Astley, the School Committee voted unanimously
(5-0) to approve the recommendation for an Accountant/Analyst for the Business Office.
(c) Strategic Planning Working Groups:
The School Committee discussed establishing several goal areas and how to approach working on those goals.
(d) Future Agendas:
The School Committee reviewed drafts of the next three meetings
that will take place before the new superintendent begins. Several
changes were made on the drafts.
(e) Attendance at Practices During School Vacation:
Mrs. Fletcher updated the School Committee with the establishment of a
working group at the high school to review the protocol of students’
attendance at practices during vacation weeks. The School Committee
looks forward to the group’s recommendations.
(f) Energy Committee:
Mrs. Fletcher updated the School Committee on the Energy Committee’s progress on the proposed grant.
(g) Alumni Association Meeting:
Dr. Astley updated the School Committee on the possible Alumni
Association and how the meetings should be structured in compliance
with the Open Meeting Law.
(h) Finance Seminar:
Mrs. Fletcher asked if any members wanted to attend a municipal finance seminar.
14. Comments from the Public:
• Tom Sciacca commented on an approach the school district
should use when engaging in the strategic planning process. He also
commented on the housing turnover on his street and the possible impacts
on enrollment.
• Louis Jurist advocated that the School Committee wait for the
strategic plan until the new superintendent has had time to complete his
entry plan.
15. Executive Session:
Upon a motion duly made by Dr. Kinney, seconded by Ms. Butler, the
School Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to convene in Executive
Session at 10:30 P.M. to discuss matters pertaining to the Custodial
grievance and Custodial union negotiations, as set forth in Section
21(a)(1) and (3) of G.L. Ch. 30A. The School Committee agreed that
discussion regarding the Custodial union negotiations would be in
Executive Session, as conducting these discussions in open session will
have a detrimental effect on the School Committee’s negotiating
position.
A roll call vote was taken as follows:
|
Roll Call
Mrs. Barb Fletcher, Chair
Dr. Malcolm Astley
Ms. Beth Butler
Mrs. Ellen Grieco
Dr. Shawn Kinney
|
Yes
X
X
X
X
X
|
No
|
The Chair announced that they would reconvene in Regular Session following the adjournment of the Executive Session.
16. Ratification of Custodial MOA:
Upon a motion duly made by Dr. Kinney, seconded by Dr. Astley, the
School Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to ratify the Custodial MOA
for FY12-14.
17. Adjournment:
Upon a motion duly made by Ms. Butler, seconded by Mrs. Grieco, the School Committee voted unanimously
(5-0) to adjourn the Regular Session at 11:00 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Gary A. Burton, Clerk
Wayland School Committee
Observers:
Tom Sciacca, WVN
Cecily Kiefer, Wayland
Betsey Brigham, Wayland
Louis Jurist, Wayland
Corresponding Documentation:
1. Hand out re: Middle School Soccer Fields
2. Cover Memo from Dr. Burton/NESDEC Enrollment Report
3. 2012-2013 School Calendar
4. Job Description for Accountant/Analyst