HomeMy Public PortalAboutBrewster School Committee -- 2011-09-27 Minutes Brewster School Committee APPROVED
September 27,2011
Brewster Town Hall
Present for the Committee: Donna Kalinick, Mara Liebling, Marie Enochty,Jennifer Rabold
Present for Administration: Dr. Hoffmann, Dr. Gifford, Dr. Caretti, Mr. Baumhauer, Principals Keith Gauley and
Denise Fronius
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Rabold called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
AGENDA CHANGES-none
CITIZENS SPEAK—none
RECOGNITIONS
Principals Fronius and Gauley expressed gratitude to the PTO for kicking off the school year with a staff breakfast
and welcome back signs. Dr. Mara Liebling was also thanked for spearheading the Wellness Expo which was a
huge success.
PRIORITY BUSINESS
Administrators' Reports
Principal Fronius reviewed some highlights from her report. Stony Brook had a wonderful opening despite the
inclement weather with guests from the community in attendance. Open House was very successful with a great
turnout of 90%in classrooms. Results from the Dibels assessments are in and will be reported out at the October
meeting. Preliminary results are typical for this time of year and teachers recognize the students who read over
the summer. Summer Reading Program participants received recognitions and bookmarks.
At the July School Committee meeting a letter from Craig Perrier requesting a memorial bench in his father's
name be placed in the periphery of the ball field with the inscription on the bench that will read: "Sit with me for
a while. With baseball,there are no strangers. This bench reflects Jim Perrier's love for the Cape Cod Baseball
League where he watched games for 33 summers, In loving memory from his family. 9/25/04."
New hires,Caroline Bellarosa,Jennifer Rogers, Charles Cantanza and Carol Andrade are all doing a fantastic job.
Part-time custodian, Ryan Sullivan, is doing a wonderful job maintaining the grounds.
Aquatic artist, Greg Johnson, has been commissioned by the Afterschool Program to paint a mural on a section of
the wall in the gym with students being directly involved in this endeavor.
Motion: On a motion by Marie Enochty,seconded by Mara Liebling, it was voted unanimously to approve the
memorial bench.
Principal Gauley reviewed some highlights from his report. Eddy had a great opening which was no small feat
given the changes that happened over the summer. MCAS results were released last week and Principal Gauley
distributed a statistic/data summary of scores over the past three years. Eddy is piloting a data team at the
elementary level and are looking at all sorts of data to define possible causes,verify causes and design plans to
help students. This year at 2:00 p.m. dismissal Mr.Gauley is allowing baseball, soccer etc.to take place with
coaches being responsible for making sure students do not get on the bus and calling parents when problems
arise.
Principal Gauley indicated that the early start time,from his perspective, has been great.
Eleven buses were in and out of Eddy in three minutes and all went smoothly. Tardies are not an issue. Principal
Fronius indicatedat`Stony Brook before school tutorials are scheduled with at least four groups of students
coming into school between 7:00-7:15 a.m.
Dr. Hoffmann thanked Principal Gauley for looking at the options to start afterschool programs earlier than last
year. The Recreation Department has really cooperated with our efforts to keep kids safe and facilitate a smooth
dismissal. Principal Gauley indicated that approximately 250 students participate in 14 clubs.
Dr. Caretti reported on the Extended School Program this summer with special thanks to Carol Rubin who did a
terrific job with the program. The Coordinated Program Review, encompassing Special Education,Title I, ELA and
Civil Rights,was conducted and results shared. Brewster needs improvement on some paperwork, creating a
code of conduct,translation procedures,and a self-evaluation every year. Dr.Caretti indicated she had not seen
the ELL Report yet. A copy of an IEP was sent to committee members for informational purposes.
Dr. Gifford forwarded her monthly reported and highlighted the Atlas Program, which is a web-based data system
for curriculum at the meeting. Expectations are that the district will be vertically and horizontally aligned with the
new frameworks next year. Dr. Gifford discussed STEM training that took place this past summer and next steps
for the high school. Dr.Gifford noted the middle school has started a class in robotics.
Dr. Hoffmann complimented Dr. Gifford on planning professional development across the district. The
Superintendent visited every school opening day noting students were engaged in learning right away thanks to
our amazing staffs! He reported riding the Owl Pond School bus on September 8th to Eddy School, Middle School,
and onto the High School. He indicated the bus drivers knew every student and welcomed students as they
boarded the bus. The Orleans Citizens Forum will be held on October 4th with the topic being"Education-
Declining enrollments and declining revenues. All are invited.
FY11 Budget Update
Hans Baumhauer reported on the end of year financials with Brewster having a$1,700 surplus.
FY12 Budget Update
Hans Baumhauer reviewed the monthly expense reports with the committee noting salaries had not yet been
encumbered.
Chair Rabold questioned the deficit in account 7028. Principal Gauley indicated four computers were purchased
for teachers without a working computer and that energy savings may offset that account later.
FY12 Capital Plan
Chair Rabold thanked Barry Schofeld for attending the Capital Plan meeting and sharing his expertise and 30 years
of history at the schools. The FY12 Capital Plan was presented to the Committee for review. The Playground at
Eddy Elementary was discussed and Chair Rabold indicated she would look into grants to help defray costs. It was
noted that the playground should be built accessible to all abilities. Chair Rabold indicated that the playground is
shared by the Brewster Recreation Program as well as Nauset Youth Alliance and that this could be a joint
venture. Further discussion is warranted with principals.
Motion: On a motion by Marie Enochty,seconded by Mara Liebling, it was voted unanimously to approve the
FY12 Capital Plan as presented.
School Lunch Price Increase
Hans Baumhauer reviewed the memo from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education indicating the need to increase the price of lunches.
Motion: On a motion by Marie Enochty, seconded by Mara Liebling, it was voted unanimously to raise the price
of school lunch by 25 cents to meet the federal mandate.
Chair Rabold mentioned that most schools in the district are running deficits in their cafeterias and that Brewster
subsidized the cafeterias by approximately$30,000 last year. She stated she was on the RFP Committee that is
looking into food service in the district and indicated cafeterias are not budgeted and we take money from the
operating budget to cover deficits. Mr. Baumhauer noted that all other elementary schools have a line item for
cafeterias in their budgets, with the exception of Brewster. Chair Rabold noted that there has been no change in
staffing over the past ten years even though other areas had been reduced.The Joint School Committee will meet
on October 13th at which time the RFP subcommittee will make recommendations for review.
Wellness Policy
Mara Liebling indicated that the subcommittee met again, revised their recommendation and made adjustments
to the policy. The majority of the subcommittee voted to go with the new language but there were descending
votes. This will be presented to the Joint Committee on October 13th for second reading and adoption.
Motion: On a motion by Marie Enochty,seconded by Mara Liebling, it was voted unanimously to rescind the
previous vote to approve the Wellness Policy.
Motion: On a motion by Mara Liebling, seconded by Marie Enochty, it was voted unanimously to approve the
Wellness Policy as revised.
Enrollment
Principal Gauley indicated enrollment was down 12 students from October data last year. Fourteen new students
registered over the summer but 16 moved out of the district. Four students in the "I Can" Program are listed with
classroom teachers as well.
Principal Fronius indicated enrollment has increased by six students with an average class size of 19 which is
manageable. Three Kindergarten classes have 20 students with a Kindergarten Educational Assistant funded
through the Quality Ed Grant for 3 hours per day. Another Educational Assistant has had hours increased to give
the Kindergarten teachers an extra half hour of support. Teachers are very skilled, students on task and doing a
wonderful job. There are three new children at Stony Brook who speak Russian.
Questions were raised about the accuracy of the cohort projections used as distributed by the Central Office. The
Superintendent indicated that October 1 enrollment figures for all the towns in the Region are used as official
enrollment numbers. NESDEC, an outside firm, may be retained to do enrollment projections for the District as a
comparison to what is done by the Business Office. Marie Enochty indicated she will have the Cape Cod
Collaborative send their enrollment statistics as well.
Building Use
Building use was discussed and it was the consensus of the committee to have a Space Utilization Subcommittee
with Dave Telman as chair. This will be on next month's agenda.
It was suggested that the Recreation Department and the Nauset Youth Alliance be represented on the
subcommittee. A specific,focused charge will be written.
Green School Repair Project
Dr. Hoffmann updated the Committee on the Green School Repair Project indicating that 72%of Eastham voters
voted in favor of the project. Dr. Hoffmann has attended approximately 14-15 meetings with various town
boards and committees answering questions and providing information on the project. Some Brewster Finance
Committee members visited the high school to tour the facility. Dr. Hoffmann gave a timeline of the history of the
project. The cost for Brewster taxpayers is$18.72 per year each year for twenty years. November 7th is the Town
Meeting and November 14th is the election. Chair Rabold noted how infrequently towns get to see tax dollars
spent on Cape and that this is a project we should support.
MASC Resolutions
Marie Enochty indicated she could be the delegate for Brewster, if it is okay with MASC.
On a motion by Mara Liebling,seconded by Donna Kalinick, it was voted that Marie Enochty be a delegate for
Brewster and that Dave Telman be the alternate.
Visioning Event
Chair Rabold announced the Envision Brewster Event is Friday, October 14 from 5:00—8:00 p.m. Skye Frey-Cole
will be the facilitator. Activities will be held for children so that parents may attend this event.
OTHER REPORTS AND INFORMATION
Cape Cod Collaborative
Marie Enocty reported that the Collaborative held their Open House;she visited with staff members and noted
every classroom is being used. She suggested that members visit the Collaborative but call first and Paul Hilton
will arrange a tour. The Collaborative held a Summit last week that was well attended.
Transportation Subcommittee
Chair Rabold indicated she attended some of the meetings but it may not work out with her schedule and
wondered if any other committee member might attend. No volunteers.
Approval of Minutes
On a motion by Marie Enochty, seconded by Donna Kalinick, it was voted to approve the minutes of June 16,
2011.
On a motion by Mara Liebling,seconded by Donna Kalinick, it was voted to approve the minutes of the July 26,
2011 meeting.
ADJOURNMENT
On a motion by Marie Enochty,seconded by Mara Liebling, it was voted to adjourn the meeting at 8:42 p.m.,
subject to payment of bills.
ectf Ily s bmitted,
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