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HomeMy Public PortalAboutBrewster School Committee -- 2012-01-19 Minutes Brewster School Committee ippROVE6 Brewster Town Hall January 19,2012 Present for the Committee: Dave Telman,Donna Kalinick,Marie Enochty,Mara Liebling and Jennifer Rabold Present for Administration: Principals Keith Gauley and Denise Fronius,Ann Caretti, Hans Baumhauer,Bonny Gifford,Maggie Mack and Richard Hoffmann CALL TO ORDER Chair Rabold called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. AGENDA CHANGES Move B. Preschool before Administrator Reports. Move E. before D. CITIZENS SPEAK Su Ballentine addressed the Committee regarding the"First T"program and distributed a handout to the Committee for consideration. She hoped the Committee would put the item on their next agenda for discussion as to whether or not to move forward with the program in the elementary schools. RECOGNITION None Preschool Program Update Chair Rabold read a statement to the audience regarding public comments,the Open Meeting Law,and set the tone of the meeting noting respectfulness and courtesy when addressing the Committee and Administration. Dr. Hoffmann reviewed what had transpired over the past week and mentioned the parent forum that was held. He realized parents were concerned about eliminating one preschool classroom. He reiterated,as at the last meeting, if enrollment should increase then another classroom will be added back. Special Education Preschool is a mandated program. He reviewed a handout that was given to parents with enrollment/capacity in the Integrated Preschool. The chart showed unfilled special needs seats for the last 5 years. He indicated it was fiscally responsible to eliminate one classroom as there were not enough special needs preschoolers identified and the children's needs could be met in three classrooms. The Superintendent indicated the number,based on trends,did not warrant a fourth classroom and so it was the recommendation of the Director of the Preschool Porgram, The Director of Student Services,and the Superintendent to eliminate one classroom. They would not offer changes if it would be harmful in any way to the students or the program. Presently with three classrooms planned for FY13 there are 11 unfilled special needs seats. If there are four classrooms there will be 25 unfilled seats. Funds to add the fourth class if needed could come from the preschool revolving account or the Committee could ask the Finance Committee as it would be an unanticipated need. If more children are identified in March,an a.m. session could be funded with the revolving account or the budget could be revised on Town Meeting floor. Parents made suggestions at the forum to raise tuition for the community friends to help supplement the program. Presently the cost is$80 per month or$800 per year— 10 months. The Superintendent indicated the number,based on trends,did not warrant a fourth classroom and so it was the recommendation of the Director of the Preschool Program,the Director of Student Services,and the Superintendent to eliminate one classroom. They would not offer changes if it would be harmful in any way to the students or the program. Trish Hill,Brenda Cazeault,and Trisha MacDonald address the Committee with concerns regarding the process and asked that the fourth preschool classroom be reinstated in the budget. Greg Baecker addressed the Committee regarding a preschool program for non-special needs children in Brewster and distributed a handout to the audience and Committee members. Chair Rabold clarified the process,how the budget is put together,proposed,and then presented to the School Committee. December was the Committee's first look at the budget. They will meet again to discuss it further and then debate issues. The School Committee makes the decision with Administration and the Principals. The Public Hearing on the budget is January 31'. The budget will probably be voted on February 9t. That is the process and the timeline. Marie Enochty indicated she did not like the process as staff were notified of termination before the School Committee reviewed the budget. She indicated that this was never discussed at a Joint Meeting. She stated Nauset has an amazing special needs program noting incredible success in the integration of preschoolers to kindergarten. She indicated that Nauset has never followed the state ceiling for special needs students and always had lower numbers in classrooms. Marie Enochty asked to make a motion that the fourth preschool classroom be put back into the budget and the Committee carefully review what it looks like moving forward. She requested that Administration spend next year looking at the integrity of the program and consider increasing tuition. She also asked how will we move forward with our other three towns and the process,but in any case that this be reviewed and an inclusive, collaborative decision be made. She suggested the Committee look at this more carefully over a year's time. Mara Liebling,Donna Kalinick and Dave Telman were in agreement with Ms. Enochty. Chair Rabold indicated that she was not going to accept the motion yet,but asked that Ms. Enochty bring it up again after discussion. Ms.Enochty indicated that a motion can be made and seconded,then discussion can ensue. Chair Rabold asked Dr. Hoffmann to explain the timeline and how notification to teachers went out. Dr. Hoffmann indicated when a budget is developed, the Business Manager, Dr. Caretti,and Dr. Mack meet and looked at the needs. Last year they looked at eliminating a preschool classroom due to low enrollment and they decided to look at it again in the spring. They looked at enrollment this year and saw that a fourth classroom was not needed. The proposed budget did not include a fourth classroom so he thought it was beneficial for teachers to know the intent to cut so they would have an opportunity to get another position. This was talked about at other School Committees. He did not get a sense that the other school committees felt there was a need to support a fourth classroom. Dr.Hoffmann indicated he will put the cost of the fourth classroom back into the budget if that is what the Brewster School Committee wants to do. He assured them,if there was a need,he would put the program back into the budget. If the other School Committees vote not to support this,Brewster could fund the classroom for just Brewster children. Charges and assessments are based on enrollments. Dr. Maggie Mack reviewed how classes are crafted in the program. She also noted that a student from Brewster attends the Wellfleet program for 20 hours per week,and the parents like that because their daycare provider lives in North Eastham. Eastham does not have a preschool and Eastham preschoolers attend school in Wellfleet and Orleans. She noted the benefits to having a region program. Dr. Mack sited the history of screenings and how many students were identified for the program over the last few years. She also noted 150 letters were mailed according to census in the towns. Some students have itinerant speech and language but do not attend a preschool. Chair Rabold addressed the audience indicating there was no doubt in her mind the importance of preschool. Preschool has a long-lasting effect on children and Brewster has a quality program. She went on to say she would like to see universal preschool,however the money is not there. She mentioned that the Committee did have to fight for an override. She asked if the towns could increase tuition for community friends. She also indicated right now the budget is under 2%without benefits and 2.5%with benefits. If the fourth classroom,is funded,where will we find the money? The cost to reinstate staff is$123,650, not including supplies. Brewster's share would be about$56,000. On a motion by Marie Enochty, seconded by Mara Liebling,it was voted 4 yeas and 1 nay(Chair Rabold)to reinstate the fourth classroom in the Integrated Preschool and go back to the other three towns and discuss this at the Joint meeting. Dr. Hoffmann indicated he would put this item on the agenda for the Joint School Committee Meeting. If the other committees support this, it will be put it back in the budgets. Chair Rabold voted no,to reinstating the class and wanted to tell the citizens why she voted that way. She thinks it is important to have a preschool program for all students, if we could self-fund it. If we had a fourth preschool classroom,her hopes would be that it not be a special needs classroom. She felt an extra classroom puts a burden on the townspeople. She felt a lot of students could benefit from an expanded program. Chair Rabold indicated the Committee will have to look at the revised budget for reductions. The Principals were asked to stay within 2.5%increase unless there was a need. Administrators'Reports Principal Fronius highlighted a few items from her written report including a big thank you to Judy Hamer and her drama class for presenting"The Tides of Change: A Sharetastic Pirate Adventure." This was the first time all K-2 students attended a field trip together. She also thanked the PTO for funding buses for the field trip. She also distributed a newsletter regarding events at Stony Brook Elementary School to kick off Health and Wellness across the district. She also noted that the DIBELS assessments show marked growth in all areas K-2 and not one student fell in the at risk category. Principal Fronius indicated that First Parish Brewster,celebrated their last service at Stony Brook Elmentary School on December 18th. They presented Stony Brook with a beautiful banner and a check for$723. The donation will be used to purchase much needed informational texts for each grade level. Motion: On a motion by Marie Enochty, seconded by Mara Liebling,it was voted unanimously to accept the gift of$723 from First Parish Brewster. Principal Fronius also answered question regarding tardiness of students and indicated the measures being used to alleviate this situation such as calling parents and sending letters. Principal Fronius indicated that many students are being driven to school and that the majority of tardies are by just a couple of minutes. Questions were raised as to why parents are driving and if it were due to the change in the bus schedule. Principal Gauley indicated that some of the tardiness may be due to construction on Rte. 6A. He is also sending letters to parents with their child's report card and will follow-up as needed. Principal Gauley highlighted some items in his written report including the new technology pilot—Xoom Tablets. Students in two grade 4 classrooms along with students in the SEA program will have the opportunity to use Motorola's Xoom tablets at school and at home from January 23`d until April vacation,thanks to a Verizon Thininity grant received by the district. Winners of the Geography Bee are: 1'place—Casey Quinn,2nd place Taylor Branch,and third place was a tie between Matt Cahill and Jacob Pooler. Dr.Bonny Gifford gave highlights from her written report that included ELA Framework writing standards, and Writing Benchmark Assessments. She noted the benchmarks were pushing toward more informational texts. She met with teachers and the goal is to work through summer and have a tool in place for September. She also mentioned the Educator Evaluation Tool indicating there are some informational sessions coming up in the near future. She stated Nauset will have a team of Administrators and Teachers to create the new system. Dr.Hoffrnann indicated he was invited to the University of Southern Mississippi to be on an expert panel regarding the implementation of local wellness plans and hopes to use some of the information in our own District. FY12 Budget Hans Baumahuer,Business Manager,reviewed the monthly expenditure reports with the Committee. He also reviewed the Cafeteria Revolving Account noting that presently Eddy School has a deficit of$1,454 and Stony Brook has a deficit of$6,319. He also stated the schools were on target with food costs but it is the labor hours that are costing the schools. Principal Fronius indicated that she has met with the cafeteria manager and they are working to expand purchasing between the two schools. She also stated that the children are young at Stony Brook Elementary and parents are more likely to send lunch from home. They are looking into the breakfast sales. Chair Rabold asked if it were time to reduce hours of cafeteria workers at Stony Brook and Principal Fronius indicated a reduction had been made. Mr.Baumhauer indicated he will look into the reimbursement for breakfast program. Mr. Baumhauer also indicated that repairs to equipment are always charged to the cafeteria account and that Stony Brook had a bad September with freezer problems due to the storm. Mr. Baumhauer also stated that a cafeteria worker is being paid on a scale as high as the cafeteria manager, so that Stony is paying for almost two manager's salaries. Chair Rabold reiterated that she was not comfortable with ending the year with a$20,000 deficit and hopes it can be slowed down significantly. Dr.Hoffmann indicated that it might be a situation,K-2,that you might not be able to break even or cut the deficit significantly. He noted there needs to be a predictable number that can be put in the budget. The Special Needs Educational Assistant salary line is running in a deficit and it is due to an Educational Assistant being hurt on the job that is on sick leave and requires a long term substitute. The Eddy School also has a new Educational Assistant in the"I Can"Program. Hans Baumhauer reported to the Committee that there is a fire alarm issue at the Eddy School where the duct sensors in the HVAC system are not working properly and the Fire Chief wants this fixed as soon as possible. Last year$120,000 was spent on repairs to the HVAC units. Hans Baumhauer met with the Fire Chief and the Town Administrator indicating this was an unanticipated expense of$20,000. The cost of replacing all HVAC's is $800,000 and roof replacement is $750,000,totaling$1,550,000 and will be included on the capital plan for 2015. Administration will get guidance from the town as they don't have the capacity to spend that kind of money. The Town Finance Committee has to look at this. It was noted$45,000 has been spent on the HVAC this year. It was noted that account 7095 at the Eddy School, Special Needs Tuition has a-$18,000 balance. Dr. Caretti indicated that last month she updated the Committee regarding a student needing substantial outside placement. After investigating, it is not Brewster's responsibility,however, another student moved into the district two weeks ago. She anticipates that this student will need an outside placement at a cost of$34,666 from now until June. She is still working with the family and will report back to the committee. Dr. Hoffmann suggested reviewing the FY12 budget line by line to project any unexpended funds and then go to the Finance Committee. Mr.Baumhauer indicated he could file for Extraordinary Relief. Dr. Caretti will find out if the child qualifies for Circuit Breaker money Mr.Baumhauer indicated that the five year capital plan will be on the next agenda. He also indicated he would get balances in the revolving accounts from Lisa Souve. Discussion was held regarding how preschool is apportioned,which is by a 3 year average in each of the programs. Food Service Program Dr. Hoffmann indicated he is meeting with all Principals to discuss the role of the Principal in the Food Service Program. This past week Dr. Hoffmann visited all school cafeterias with an outside consultant who asked questions and looked at the kitchen facilities. She will prepare a report for the District showing the pluses and the potential challenges. Dr. Hoffmann will post the position of Cafeteria Manager soon. FY13 Budget Review Dr. Hoffmann indicated that the Point of Sales System has been added to both school budgets,line item is 5077A-$3,636. The Superintendent also indicated that the Central Office Subcommittee reduced the Central Office Budget by$5,000. He noted that the Town Administrator has looked at the numbers. Dr. Hoffmann stated that the number of Brewster children is down and that will lower assessments in Brewster for the Regional Schools. Budget schedule: Public Hearing Jan. 31" Approve budget—Feb. 9th Feb. 13th—meeting with Selectmen for Brewster and Region Budget Mar. 21St-meeting with Finance Committee at 6:00 p.m. for Brewster Elem.Budget Goals • Maintain quality of academic programs • Maintain responsible class size • Stimulate Professional Growth Plan • Enhance parent and community involvement Marie Enochty asked about the visioning event and the next steps. Chair Rabold is working on a Blog. The Chair asked the Committee over the next few weeks to carefully look at the goals and the budget. Transportation For discussion at the Joint School Committee meeting. Reports and Information Cape Cod Collaborative—no report Transportation—no report Playground—Keith Gauley reported that the Playground Subcommittee met twice and are in the process of identifying good ideas and questions. Space Utilization—Denise Fronius provided minutes from November 30th and December 20th meetings. All are invited to attend the Jan. 24th meeting. Dr.Hoffmann indicated there is a Sustainability Subcommittee with members from all towns working on how to sustain excellence in the Nauset Public Schools. They have identified three areas to work on: technology, credibility, and communication. They want to see Nauset promote themselves. Approval of Minutes On a motion by Dave Telman, seconded by Marie Enochty,it was voted to approve the minutes of the 12/15, 2011 with the correction in the name of the fifth grade student and the residency issue—Katie Leland. (1 abstention,Mara Liebling) Adjournment On a motion by Dave Telman, seconded by Mara Liebling,it was voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 9:55 p.m.,subject to payment of bills. Resp fully submitted, �.. . .rte .Tefft,Record y7g Secretary for Brewster School Committee