Loading...
HomeMy Public PortalAbout20230615 - School Committee - Agenda PacketHopkinton School Committee Thursday, June 15, 2023 Regular Meeting 7:00 PM HCAM Studio, 77 Main Street, Hopkinton AGENDA I. Call to Order a. Reorganization Nominations for Vice Chair for the 2023-2024 School Year. II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Public Comments IV. Recognitions • Unified Track D2 State Champions • Science Fair National Winners V. Reports: a. 7:15-7:25: Superintendent's Report - Dr. Cavanaugh b. 7:25-7:30: School Committee Chair Report - Ms. Cavanaugh Warrants #23-067S and #23-068S have been approved. A copy of the warrants have are included in your packet. c. 7:30-7:35: Liaison Reports VI. New Business a. 7:35-7:40: Apple Lease - Ms. Rothermich For consideration: Request approval for the replacement Apple Lease for the 1:1 Laptop Program in the amount of $52,733.50 annually, and the teacher laptop replacements at the Middle School, loaners at the High School and the Middle School graphics lab in the amount of $111,119.69 annually. Motion: Move to approve the two Apple Lease programs as presented. VII. Old Business a. 7:40-7:50: Liaison Roles for 2023-2024 - Ms. Cavanaugh For consideration: The Committee will review the roles and responsibilities for the year. Review and assign School Committee members liaison roles for the 2023-2024 school year. The listed matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair to be discussed at the meeting. Not all items may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law. Unless an agenda item is a posted public hearing, the matter may be considered earlier than the indicated time if there are last minute cancellations or other unforeseen events which cause the Committee to move more quickly through the Agenda. Motion: TBD b. 7:50-8:00: School Committee Norms & Protocols - Ms. Cavanaugh For consideration: The Committee will review the norms and protocols. c. 8:00-8:10: School Committee Member Ethics Polio - Ms. Cavanaugh For consideration: The Committee will review the current policy for revisions. VIII. 8:10: Future Agenda Items IX. 8:15: Items by Consensus The Superintendent recommends the School Committee approve the Items by Consensus as listed below: a. Operating & Other Funds Warrant #23-067S in the amount of $809,869.78. b. HS Student Activities Warrant #23-068S in the amount of $12,281.57. c. Regular Meeting Minutes of April 27, 2023 d. Special Meeting Minutes of May 4, 2023. e. Regular Meeting Minutes of May 11, 2023. f. Regular Meeting Minutes of May 25, 2023 g. Regular Meeting Minutes of June 5, 2023. X. 8:20 Adjournment Next Meeting Dates: July 6, 2023 -Regular Meeting July 27, 2023 - Regular Meeting The listed matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair to be discussed at the meeting. Not all items may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also he brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law. Unless an agenda item is a posted public hearing, the matter may be considered earlier than the indicated time if there are last minute cancellations or other unforeseen events which cause the Committee to move more quickly through the Agenda. INTENTIONALLY BLANK ITEM DIVIDER 2023-06-15 Item VI.a. SC Agenda Hopkinton Public Schools 89 Hayden Rowe Street Hopkinton, MA. 01748 Susan Rothermich Director of Finance & Operations srothermich@Hopkinton.K12.ma.us Telephone: 508-417-9360 Fax: 508-497-9833 MEMORANDUM To: Dr. Cavanaugh, Superintendent of Schools From: Susan Rothermich, Director of Finance & Operations Date: June 7, 2023 (for meeting of June 15, 2023) Subject: Lease of Apple Equipment 1. For the high school 1:1 Laptop Program, it is necessary to initiate a new three-year lease for MacBooks for next year's 9th graders. The units needed are based on family applications. The PEPPM collaborative purchasing program was used to procure the equipment and lease through Apple Education. The students pay for the devices over four years. The student cost for the laptop model 1 and 2 is $852.89 and $1,411.62, respectively. The difference between the models is memory and storage capacity. Annual lease payments are $52,733.50. Funding for this lease will come from participant payments made into the 1:1 Laptop Initiative Revolving Account by students and their families. 2. The FY24 Budget includes funding for the teacher laptop replacements at the Middle School, loaners at the High School and the Middle School graphics lab. This represents approximately 280 units with accessories and Apple Care. The PEPPM collaborative purchasing program was used to procure the equipment and lease through Apple Education. The annual lease payments are $111,119.69. Funding for this lease will come from the Technology Budget. I recommend that the School Committee approve the leases from Apple Inc. as detailed above. INTENTIONALLY BLANK ITEM DIVIDER SC Sub -Committees & Liaison R oles 2022-2023 Updated: May 2022 Grou p/Role Category Description Eff ort/ Time per Month Chatr Nancy Adam S usa n Amanda H olly Car ol Core Functi ons Media Spokesperson (Chair/ Superintendent) Core SC Function Th e auth ority of the Sch ool Committe e r ests in the Committee as a whole, b ut in instances outside of meetings, the chair represents the voice of the Committe e to the community, incl uding to the media and to our legislators . 6-12 Hours/ Month X Alt X Legislator Liaison Core SC Function TBD TBD X Alt Budget Advisory Group Core SC Function The budget advisory group consists of the S uperint endent, the Chair of the School Committee, the Town Manager, th e Chair of the Board of Selectmen, the Ch air of the Appropriations Committee and the Directors of Finance for the t own and schools . The group meets monthly and as needed thro ugh out the budget pl anning season to share budget related information. Monthly me etings of roughly 1-2 hours ea ch X Alt X Policy Rev iew Working Gro up Core SC Function The policy working group is an ongoing s ubgr oup that mee ts regularly to review and maintain the district wide policy manu al. As additions, edits or other changes arise, the working grou p drafts modifications which are then emailed to all families and re viewed/voted on by the entire School Committee du ring regularly s ched ul ed meetings . Hopkinto n School Co mmittee policie s ca n be fou nd on the district website under the School Committee tab. 4-8 hour/month X X SC Meeting Minutes Rev iew Core SC Function SC Meeting Minutes rela te d to Regu lar, Special, and Executive Sessions require to be captured, reviewed a nd share d in a timely manner. Support is available for Regular meeting minutes capture. 2 Hours/ Month Charte red Voting Memberships Irv ine-Todaro Committee (1 vo ting member) V oting Membership Irvine-Todaro Property Management 2 hours/ year TEC (1 Voting Member) votin M embership g The Education Collaborative (TEC) is a 15 member district co llabo rative that supports the needs of students with intensive ne eds. TEC also provides PD, and sev eral o ther services to Educators. Hours/ Month VM Maratho n Fund Committe e. (1 voting member) V oting Membership The Mara thon Fund Co mmitte e is cha rged with utlizing funds left o ver every year 2 4 Hours/ Month X Campus Planning Committee Adviso ry Sub -Committee Work as part of team working with contracted consultants to develop a district -wide campus plan; will be interre la te d with ESBC2 work TBD Alt ESBC-2 (2; 1 Vo ting Me mber) Voting M embership Elmwood School SC Sub -Committees & Li aison Roles 2022-2023 Updated: May 2022 Grou p/Role Cat egory Description Effo M n he per Chair Na ncy Adam Sown Am anda Holly Carol Turf Field Committee Advisory S ub -Committee Turf Field Management 2 hours/ month X Youth Co mmissio n Liaison Role attend monthly meetings. midweek in the evening Alt x Planning Board Liaison Role TBD TBD X Appro priation Committee Liaison R ole Attend meetings, report on updat es 4-6 hrs/month X Alt Selec t Boa rd Lia ison Role Attend me etings, report on updates 2-4 hrs/month; SB Meets on Tuesdays at 6PM X Alt Capital Improvements Liaison Role Attend m eetings, r ep ort on updates 1-2 hrs/m onth X Alt SEPA C Lia ison Role The Special Educati on Parent Advisory Council advocates for students with Special Needs. It works in an advisory r ol e with f amilies and School Administration. TBD X Hopkinton Organized for Prevention (HOP) Lia ison Ro le Crea te d and launched by former Youth and Family Services Director Denise Hildreth, the HOP Coalition's mission is to pre vent substance abuse and addiction in our community. Fuel ed by grant funding from the state, the HOP Coalition is comprised of a cross-section of community me mbers who meet monthly to discuss what can be done through community collaboration to combat substance abuse. Committee members represent first responders, recovery service providers, families, high sc hoo l students, high school counseling, and Hopkinton student se rvices. In the past the HOP Coalition has helped sponsor educational events for parents and families, substance -free so cial eve nts for students, Hopkinton's substance- free post -prom party, and o ther eve nts to wnwide. One meeting for 2 hours per month plus a ny speci al proje cts (optional); meetings tend to be at 4PM on Tuesdays x Sus tainable Green Community Liaison Role X ELPAC Liaiso n Role x INTENTIONALLY BLANK ITEM DIVIDER 2023-06-15 Item VII.b. SC Agenda HOPKINTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE PROTOCOLS AND BEST PRACTICES FOR EFFECTIVE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETINGS 2022-2023 "NORMS AND BELIEFS" School Committee members are elected public officials, selected by their fellow citizens to act in their interests and empowered to act as they see their duty to work for the children of their community. Although rules of order are essential to an effective public meeting, personal norms and protocols to guide individual or group behaviors are neither established in law nor subject to imposition by anyone outside the board itself. Democracy demands the individual use one's best judgment as one perceives it rather than succumbing to the will of another, whether it is resolving a matter of policy, fulfilling your fiduciary responsibilities, or providing leadership. How We Govern 1. We acknowledge that a School Committee meeting is a meeting of the School Committee that is held in public — not a public meeting, and we will make every effort to ensure that Committee meetings are effective and efficient.' 2. School Committee members agree to thoughtfully seek and support solutions that will provide the greatest benefit to students. Once the School Committee has taken action, Committee members will support the official position of the School Committee.2 3. It is the responsibility of the Superintendent to oversee the hiring, evaluation and handling of personnel issues; it is the responsibility of the School Committee to evaluate the Superintendent's effectiveness in these matters. 4. Members will exercise leadership in vision, planning, policy making, evaluation, and advocacy on behalf of the students and district, not in managing the day-to-day operations of the district. 5. We acknowledge the importance of subcommittees, and the Superintendent agrees to utilize them to focus on a specific topic in-depth and to prepare for presentation, deliberation and possible action by the full School Committee. 6. School Committee members agree to recognize and respect that their authority exists when a quorum of the Committee meets and not as individual Committee members. How We Communicate 1. It is our responsibility to set the tone for the entire school system, and we will make every effort to promote a positive image for our school system. The Superintendent will be visible in the community, and we will operate transparently and respectfully, maintain confidentiality, and respect the Open Meeting laws. 2. The Superintendent and the School Committee recognize the importance of proactive communication and agree that they will strive to avoid surprises in the meeting.3 If School Committee members have questions or concerns related to the agenda packet, they agree whenever possible to contact the Superintendent by noon two days prior to the meeting, without the expectation of an individual response in order to maintain transparency and foster equal access to the information among School Committee members. Page 2 of 4 3. We agree that discussion will be limited to the agenda, and items will not be added to the agenda unless it is determined by the Superintendent and the School Committee Chairperson that it would be detrimental to delay the issue until a subsequent meeting.4 4. The Superintendent or designee will share an annual planning calendar with School Committee members. If a member wishes to add an item to a future agenda, he or she should make a request to the Superintendent or the School Committee Chairperson.' In turn, they will consult other members, as well as the annual planning calendar to gauge interest and alignment. 5. School Committee members agree to refer important questions and concerns they receive from members of the school community to the Superintendent and/or School Committee Chair as appropriate. The Superintendent will investigate and provide all Committee members with the information needed to respond to an issue.' 6. School Committee members will channel requests for information, reports and data through the Superintendent and the School Committee Chair rather than directly to staff. The Superintendent will ensure that each member has equal access to this information.' 7. The Superintendent and School Committee recognize the importance of working collaboratively with Town officials to improve our schools, and we will actively seek ways to enlist their support in our efforts. 8. The School Committee will work to create an environment of free and civil debate, allowing for passionate disagreement on issues and not striving for homogeneity, but for solutions to the matters at hand. In the course of such debate, members agree to respect individual differences and acknowledge a unified commitment to best serve all students despite disagreements on how that should be accomplished. How We Improve 1. School Committee members and the Superintendent recognize the importance of professional growth and development, and they agree to participate in experiences designed to further their knowledge and understanding and to advance the work of our public schools. 2. In addition, School Committee members will participate in formal training organized by the Superintendent and the School Committee Chairperson and conducted by organizations such as the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) and/or Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS). 3. If desired, all new School Committee members will participate in an orientation session, and a School Committee mentor will be assigned. 4. The Superintendent and the School Committee agree to set aside time on an annual basis for self -evaluation and to review our progress toward adhering to these norms and beliefs. 5. We recognize the importance of honoring our agreed upon norms and beliefs, and we agree to take responsibility for reminding one another when we get off track. This is an important distinction because the public does not have an inherent right to speak or participate without recognition by the chair or entitlement through your municipal charter. Page 3 of 4 2Some individuals object to this provision because it stifles dissent and disagreement. It is important to note that "supporting the official position of the school committee" does not preclude principled disagreement or future attempts to change policy, but simply not to undermine the work of the majority's policy of the district. 3 "Surprises" is a relative term, but it is appropriate to make sure that superintendents are aware of important issues or challenging questions that will be posed at a meeting. This does not preclude a member from asking a question or raising a point that arises during the course of a discussion or debate that, despite the most noble of intentions, could not be anticipated. This is often linked to "full disclosure" noted below. 'Massachusetts law precludes the school committee from raising an issue that could not have been reasonably anticipated by the chair. This protocol as stated on the list imposes an additional responsibility upon members not to push for discussions for which the superintendent or staff may be unprepared. While it is a good idea to allow the superintendent and chair to have the discretion to make a determination, a principled school committee member who feels genuinely that a late -breaking issue is important should not be discouraged from asking colleagues to take up a matter that is critical to some but not to others. s The agenda is the property of the school committee. Developing the agenda is often delegated to the chair or to the superintendent and chair. e This is a best practice to follow. However, citizens have an unrestricted right to contact their elected officials and this right may not be abridged by the superintendent or chair. Once you have listened respectfully to your constituents and asked if they have approached the appropriate administrator, you should quickly make the referral to the superintendent. 'Requests for information, reports or tasks to be performed have taken on the title of "vanity projects." They are problematic because they require the time and attention of the superintendent or staff and may not be of interest to the rest of the school committee. For that reason, it is often a policy that these requests are channeled through the school committee as a body or through the chair. However, as is stated, it is critical to the longevity of the superintendent that information be shared with everyone. s This targets intellectual bullies or others who would intimidate colleagues from raising or addressing important questions. It also speaks to those who would demand "civil discourse" as a vehicle to silence principled critics who may become passionate. Nothing should prevent a member from raising one's voice in passionate argument as opposed to shouting down someone else's point of view [These norms and protocols were adapted from original work by the Taunton School Committee in 2012. MASC notes that reasonable individuals will have rational disagreements about meanings or appropriateness of terms from time to time. ] Source: Massachusetts Association Of School Committees 2012-2013 Approved 9.2.2021 Page 4 of 4 INTENTIONALLY BLANK ITEM DIVIDER 2023-06-15 Item VII.c. SC Agenda BCA HOPKINTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE POLICY SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER ETHICS The acceptance of a code of ethics implies the understanding of the basic organization of School Committees under the Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The oath of office of a School Committee member binds the individual member to adhere to those state laws which apply to School Committees since School Committees are agencies of the state. This code of ethics delineates three areas of responsibility of School Committee members in addition to that implied above: 1. Community responsibility 2. Responsibility to school administration 3. Relationships to fellow Committee members A School Committee member in their relations with their community should: 1. Realize that their primary responsibility is to the children. 2. Recognize that their basic function is to be policy making and not administrative. 3. Remember that they are one of a team and must abide by, and carry out, all Committee decisions once they are made. 4. Be well informed concerning the duties of a Committee member on both a local and state level. 5. Remember that they represent the entire community at all times. 6. Accept the office as a Committee member as a means of service with no intent to pursue a personal agenda or to benefit personally from their Committee activities. A School Committee member in their relations with their school administration should: 1. Endeavor to establish sound, clearly defined policies which will direct and support the administration. 2. Recognize and support the administrative chain of command and refuse to act on complaints as an individual outside the administration. 3. Give the chief administrator full responsibility for discharging their professional duties and hold them responsible for acceptable results. 4. Refer all complaints to the administrative staff for solution and only discuss them at Committee meetings if such solutions fail. BCA Pg. 1 of 2 A School Committee in their relations with their fellow Committee members should: 1. Recognize that actions at official meetings are binding and that they alone cannot bind the Committee outside of such meetings. 2. Realize that they should not make statements or promises of how they will vote on matters that will come before the Committee. 3. Uphold the intent of executive sessions and respect the privileged communications that exist in executive sessions. 4. Not withhold pertinent information on school matters or personnel problems, either from members of their own Committee or from members of other Committees who may be seeking help or information on school problems. 5. Make decisions only after all facts on a question have been presented and discussed. First Reading October 4, 2018 Second Reading October 18, 2018 Third Reading Adopted October 18, 2018 Policy Amended Legal References Policy Cross Reference Source MASC 5/22/64 9.20.2021 BCA Pg. 2 of 2