Minutes - Wayland School Committee
Public Forum/Regular Session January 4, 2010
A Regular Session of the Wayland School
Committee was held on Monday, January 4, 2010, at 7:00 P.M. in the Large
Hearing Room of the Wayland Town Building.
Present were:
Dr. Louis Jurist, Chair
Mr. Malcolm Astley
Ms. Deb Cohen, Esq.
Mrs. Barb Fletcher
Also:
Dr. Gary A. Burton
Superintendent of Schools
Mr. Brad J. Crozier
Assistant Superintendent
Ms. Joy E. Buhler
Business Administrator
Dr. Marlene M. Dodyk
Director of Student Services
Chair Louis Jurist convened the regular meeting at 7:10 P.M.
and asked for public comment. He asked that questions related to the
budget be asked after the budget presentation.
1. Comments and Written Statements from the Public:
• A parent asked a question related to MCAS scores and the Middle School not making AYP.
2. Special Matter – Public Forum re: FY’11 Budget:
Dr. Jurist presented the Superintendent’s recommended budget to
the public audience. Following the presentation he invited questions
from the public.
• A parent asked that the best teachers be kept, not just the teachers with seniority.
• A parent asked a question related to buy-outs and retirements.
• A student commented that he preferred to have teachers and not capital equipment, such as computers.
• A community member distributed a document that contained his recommendations for budget reductions.
• A parent distributed a handout with a series of questions related to
the proposed budget and contained suggestions for alternative cuts.
• A former student advocated for the restoration of the art cuts and specifically attested to the impact of Mrs. Armentano.
• A parent presented information that she collected related to the enrollment in art classes.
• A parent advocated for the School Committee to reconsider the cuts
to the teaching staff and replace those cuts with non-teaching staff.
• A parent suggested that an outside consultant be brought in to do an audit and make budget recommendations reductions.
• A parent asked about bus fees and concert fees. She also suggested
seeking replacement of parking and busing offsets from the High School
Building Project.
• A community member suggested teachers and staff take a pay reduction.
• A parent expressed concern about how the district meets the needs of the middle-of-the-road student.
• A community member requested to the School Committee that they ask
employees to make salary concessions, benefits rollbacks, and pay
cuts.
• A teacher representative commented on suggested cuts and salary rollbacks.
• A student asked several questions related to the budget. She also asked if any of the budget cuts are
related to the vote authorizing the new high school.
• A student suggested that savings could be made by eliminating the Language Lab at the High School.
• A student advocated to restore the cut in the Art Department. He also suggested looking creatively at the budget.
• A parent support pursuing School Choice and not cutting Latin.
• A student asked several questions related to the capital
budget and asked if capital funds could be used for student parking.
• A parent suggested investing in software that can also be
utilized at home. She also asked questions related to increasing
sections at the elementary schools.
• A parent asked questions related to the increase of sections
at the elementary schools, and historically speaking, asked how many
classes were over the School Committee’s guidelines for class size.
• A student asked about the decrease of FTEs in the Athletic Director’s position.
• A parent expressed disappointment with the Superintendent’s
comment in the newspaper – “dismantling the school district.”
Chair Louis Jurist asked for a brief break. The session resumed at 9:54 P.M.
The Chair reviewed the rest of the agenda and briefly discussed
the recent court ruling. Dr. Jurist stated that the ruling would be on
a future agenda when the entire Committee is present.
3. Technology Capital Plan:
Mrs. Leisha Simon discussed the current technology capital and answered questions posed by the School Committee.
The Committee will place this item first on their next agenda.
4. Special Education:
Dr. Marlene Dodyk reviewed the Special Education sections in the
proposed budget. She answered questions posed by the School Committee
members.
5. Approval of Accounts Payable & Payroll Warrants:
Upon a motion duly made by Mrs. Fletcher, seconded by Mr.
Astley, the School Committee voted unanimously (4-0) (Mr. Dieffenbach
absent) to approve the following warrants:
• School Department Accounts Payable warrant, dated 1/4/2010, in the amount of $220,849.87
• School Department Payroll warrant, dated 12/31/2009, in the amount of $1,094,303.71
6. Approval of Minutes:
Upon a motion duly made by Mrs. Fletcher, seconded by Mrs.
Cohen, the School Committee voted unanimously (4-0) (Mr. Dieffenbach
absent) to approve the following minutes, as written.
• Regular Session of December 21, 2009
7. Comments from the Public:
A parent commented on the computer access students have in her children’s social circles.
8. Adjournment:
Upon a motion by Mrs. Fletcher, seconded by Mr. Astley, the
Committee voted unanimously (4-0) (Mr. Dieffenbach absent) to adjourn
the Regular Session at 11:28 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Gary A. Burton, Clerk
Wayland School Committee