DRAFT

BOXFORD SCHOOL COMMITTEE (BSC)

REGULAR MEETING

BOXFORD TOWN HALL – MTNG. RM. #1

NOVEMBER 14, 2013

7:30 PM

Members Present: Christine Bolzan, Pam MessengerDavid Rivers and Heather Vaz

Members Absent:Marc Mercier

Others Present:Dr. Bernard Creeden (TRI-TOWN UNION Superintendent), Brian Middleton-Cox andKathryn Castonguay (by phone) (Principals, Cole andSpofford School, respectively),Hagan Rivers (BEST/Parent),Pam Dalton (Cole Art Teacher),Kerry Langlois,Krissy Vigneaux,Pam Moretti,Lisa Novack, John Catalado, Karen LeBlanc, Elise Everest, Elizabeth Palmer, Suzanne Malach, Jen and Mike Soltys, Sandy Harche, Thomas Stevens, Lee McCann, Danielle Emig,Treacey SudakandChristina Eckert (Parents),Karla DiDonatoand Jack Milmoe (Parents/PTO),Ann Golesworthy (BTA), Sharon Lyons (TRI-TOWN UNION Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services), Candyce Wainwright (Technology), Tiffany Stone and Debbie Cahill (Cole School Teachers)and Ellen Gaskell (Recording Secretary)

  1. ROUTINES:
  2. Call to Order: Chairperson D. Rivers started the meeting at 7:37 p.m.
  3. D. Rivers went over the meeting protocol with the audience. He acknowledged that he felt many of the audience members were present because of class size concerns.
  4. Remarks from the Public:None
  5. Reports from Other Committees
  6. Boxford Parent Teacher Organization
  7. Karla DiDonato, Co-President reported. The membership drive just was completed; results were on target. Assembling the Student Directory went well; they gathered data online. Over fifty new families are in the directory; there is much new advertising. The goal is to distribute the directories by backpack next week. The catalog salehas just been completed; it also was on target for fundraising.The BPTO just had a successful Fall Fun Down and Halloween party; both were well- attended community events; these aren’t fundraisers.The BPTO is co-sponsoring the sports equipment sale with the Topsfield PTO. The Spirit Wear sale is upcoming (it is not a pure fundraiser; there a fee for the wear covers costs plus a small amount goes to the BPTO). Jack Milmoe then spoke about the Spirit Wear sale; families can purchase Spirit Wear online and thanked Brian Middleton-Cox for his input. K. DiDonato then spoke of more upcoming events. The BPTO is brainstorming for a spring fundraiser; usually, only 10% parents attend. The BPTO is looking for another event to capture the other 90% of parents. She said the BPTO wishes to thank families that donate, the support from the schools and Brian Middleton-Cox and Kathryn Castonguay.
  8. David Riversthanked the BPTO for all their efforts.
  9. The BPTO thanked the BSC for their work on the “opt out” procedure regarding the BPTO Family Directory, which will become effective next school year.
  10. Boxford Elementary School Trust Fall Grant Update:Best 2013 Grant Requests handout was given to the BSC at the meeting. BEST Co-President H. Rivers presented. The EnhancedLearning Initiative has been aunched. The initiative’s goal is to raise sufficient funding to provide a 1:1 ratio of iPads to students. See the related Tri-Town Transcript article, included in the packet. BEST received grant requests from fifteen teachers and staff representing both schools; their goal is to fund five classrooms in this grant period; BEST will determine the classes that get 1iPads/student subsequently.Technology becomes a tool for sharing information and enhancing education.Upcoming BEST activities were detailed. There is some very old equipment in the schools: old laptops and broken SmartBoards. There is also a shortage of computing equipment and an iPad cart shortage. Maintaining technology is expensive. It is up to the BSC to prioritize technology in the budget cycle.H. Rivers said, “We must figure out how to sustain the investment (in technology).”
  11. Christine Bolzanthanked Hagan Rivers for her work with BEST. She then asked her, “Have there been an increase in grant requests?” H. Rivers replies that typically, there is only $10-20K worth of grant requests; this school year, it was much greater possibly because BEST directly appealed to teachers (to write grants). H. Rivers noted that only one 5th grade class has a 1:1 iPad/student ratio.
  12. Lisa Novack of BEST agreed with H. Rivers; typically there are only 5-7 grant requests; this school year, there were a record number of requests.
  13. Omnibus Technology Advisory Committee:D. Rivers reported. The 1st meeting was last week. The committee’s charter was developed. The committee plans to give the BSC a list of technology goals. The committee is comprised of the 2 principals, teachers, SPECIAL EDUCATION, the Town Library, parents and a former student. At the first meeting, the committee had a large working session; they determined 200 issues grouped into 17 categories. The next meeting is next Tuesday from 3-5pm at ColeSchool; all are invited to attend.
  14. REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS:
  15. Goal #2: Digital Learning Presentation-Pam Dalton: P. Dalton presented the digital art studio. She spoke of her history using the iPad to create art. In 2010, P. Dalton created 1 painting/day per year on her iPad. She spoke of the digital art studio and how she manages to work with all the K-2 students; she works with five at a time and all the children get an opportunity to do it before the end of the school year.The ArtDepartment received an Apple TV from BEST, an iPad anda stand.She wanted to use the iPads to connect to what children were doing in the classroom. Children create the project in the classroom, then use iPad to translate project into another medium. P. Dalton then presented a previously-recorded presentation about the digital art studio.She then presented students’ traditional art projects vs. their digital projects. P. Dalton then gave the BSC, Dr. Creeden and Brian Middleton-Cox iPads so they could create digital paintings.
  16. B. Middleton-Cox praised P. Dalton’s efforts and reminded the audience that all Cole school students will go through the Digital Art Studio and stated that Ms. Dalton has been selected to present at a digital art national conference.
  17. P. Dalton spoke of “I can” statements.
  18. Ms. Dalton wants to create a folder for each child and spoke of the challenges of organizing this .The goal is to develop K-6 digital portfolios that they can take with them.
  19. Reports of the Building Principals: See the related reports in the packet.
  20. Spofford School Principal K. Castonguay reported via phone. There was a recent Olweus Presentation. The handout for the Olweus Program Parent Coffee was included in the packet. There has been a recent collaborative with the CREST collaborative; Spofford submitted student writing to CREST for publishing in a literary magazine. There is an upcoming evacuation drill. The Educator Evaluation process ongoing. The budgeting process is ongoing and will continue until mid-December. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) has started. D. Rivers asked K. Castonguay about BESTFall grant requests; he wondered if the requests BEST can’t handle will go through school budget requests? At this point, K. Castonguay lost phone contact. Dr.Creeden saidthe answer to D. River’s question is yes.K. Castonguay then called back and agreed with Dr. Creeden and said teachers have to write a narrative for grant request. D. Riversasked K. Castonguay about training for new phone system; she said there would be company training in early December.S. Greenberg said he will put the phone system training on a video and put it on the school website so teachers can access it later.The Wellness Committee is currently deliberating about whether a fee will be charged for the BOKS Program. D. Rivers commented on the success of the Extended Studies Program.
  21. D. Rivers asked K. Castonguay about the BOKS Program; she said they have received a $1,000 grant anda $500 grant from the BPTO; the target is to start program in February.
  22. Cole School Principal B. Middleton-Cox spoke of the ColeSchoolnews student newspaper; the students are using their writing and technical skills. The lockdown drill went very well. Cole is creating new emergency exit signs. FEMA documents regarding school safety are being read by the Safety Committee. B. Middleton-Cox detailed the foreign language learning by grade. The BOKS program was discussed. Eagle Scout Alex Antonuccio is still fundraising for his service project, which was explained at a previous BSC meeting ; the BPTO gave him $200. The Cole School Budget process has started.The Cole School Playground process is moving along on schedule. The goal is to: complete the installation by end of November.There will be aplayground naming contest and a ribbon- cutting ceremony. The yearbook theme will be playgrounds and play and there will be published ColeSchoolCastle retirement speech.
  23. Report of the Superintendent:
  24. There was a Rotary Club grant given to Alex Antonuccio; Eagle Scout Nathaniel Huston is in the process of installing his project; he also received a Rotary Club grant.
  25. Personnel Update: see the Superintendent’s Report, included in the packet.
  26. PARCC Field Testing Update: this will be covered later in the meeting.
  27. Goal #1: Class Size Discussion Update: see below.
  28. Goal #7: Health and Wellness BOKS Update: previously covered.
  29. At the BSC meeting next week (11/21) at Spofford School: Foreign Language teacher Amy Gregg will present and there will be a tour of the Spofford water works for the BSC prior to the meeting.
  30. Report of the Assistant Superintendent of Operations: Steve Greenberg
  31. FY 2014 Quarterly Budget Projection:A memo regarding the financial forecast for the current school year calculated as of November, 2013. A $132K surplus in the operating budget projected for the end of the school year.
  32. Two potential uses for the surplus are these:
  33. Additionalunbudgeted educational support staff at the school level is expected to cost $27K.
  34. Technology repairs for end-user equipment, such as Smart Boards and laptops and a possible technology purchase of Mac Book AIRs, Mac Book Pros with another cart. If Mac Book Pros are purchased with the cart, it would cost about $30K, if Mac Book Airs are purchased, it would cost $35-37K. The memo recommends $60K total for technology repairs and new technology purchases. ($15K for repairs of existing equipmentand $45K for new technology).
  35. The budget drivers are: salaries, health insurance and special educationexpenses. Special Education expenses include outsourcing educationand transportationand special services.
  36. C. Bolzan asked about the technology inventory status? S. Greenberg indicated that the deadline for both hardware and software inventory is December 20th. C. Bolzan said she considered the $15,000allotted for technology repairs “a bandaid” and asked, “Does it make sense just to purchase new technology with that money?”S. Greenberg responded to her, speaking of the practicality of repairing existing technology to get a few more years out of it and said at this point, these are only discussion points. H. Vaz agreed with the practicality of repairing useful equipment and replace unrepairable or obsolete equipment. S. Greenberg said, “That’s why I asked for “Superintendent’sDiscretion” for repairs.” Dr. Creeden thought it made sense to make small repairs on Smart Boards and replace the ones with more extensive problems. To replace Smart Board projectors would cost between: $1,100-2,200. The bulbs on the new Smart Boards are a 1/3 of the cost of bulbs for the older Smart Boards. B. Middleton-Cox said the repaired Smart Board projectors will interface with technology we wish to purchase in the future.
  37. D. Rivers asked S. Greenbergif the surplus was abnormally high; he said no. S. Greenberg told the principals to watch the use of consumables in the schools and urged energy conservation.
  38. All Leave of Absences and Maternity Leaves have been factored in.
  39. Dr. Creeden said there have been recent discussions with the 3 and 4th Grade teams regarding their needs. In addition to technology, these teachers have concerns regarding school safety. To address school safety concerns the walkie-talkie system has been upgraded to a radio system. It is part of technology piece.There will be twenty-seven (27) radios total for both Cole andSpofford, all with a total police and fire band; the estimated cost is $6500. S. Greenberg said the same radios were purchased for Topsfield . P. Messenger thought the radios were inexpensive.The radios can also communicate between Cole and Spofford; S. Greenberg is looking at including the Central Office “in the loop”.There was a discussion about laptop carts: there is one at 6th grade, one at 5th grade and Grades 3 and 4 andthe Special Education Department all share one cart, which happens to be the oldest cart.A goal is an additional new cart for both 3and4th Grades – this is a priority for teachers.
  40. Solutions to the larger class sizes at 4th Grade were considered:
  41. Long term

1.)Staffing: looking to New England School Development Council (NESDEC) for projections. 2 projections will be requested: 5 yearand 2 year.

2.)This year there are thirty-five (35) class sections total: fourteen (14)at Cole and twenty –one (21) at Spofford; Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade have four (4) each, Multiage has two (2), 3rd, 4th and 5thGrades have five (5) each and 6thGrade has six (6)classrooms .

3.)There is the possibility we may need 36-37 classrooms next year to be configured based on enrollment

  1. Short term

1.)Getting additional support with existing staff, probably using teacher assistants; would cost up to $27,000.

2.)Getting additionalsupport with specialists: math coach, etc.

3.)Bringing in an intern-a person in a graduate program with a teaching license.

4.)Redistributing 18-20 students to a new classroom; Dr. Creeden considered this the most disruptive option.

5.)Dr. Creeden said he would pursue short-term options to alleviate the larger class sizes, with BSC approval.

6.)H. Vaz and P. Messenger agreed with Dr. Creeden that the additional classroom would be the most disruptive option. P. Messenger asked for clarification on the $27,000cost of part-time aides; Dr. Creeden said that’s what it would cost to employ two (2) part-time aides, with their time concentrated in 3rdand 4thGrades.

7.)An advantage to re-deploying the current staff is: a shorter learning curve due familiarity with the school.

  1. Dr. Creeden said the schools haven’t budgeted for contingencies: moving of new students into town,unforeseen special education expenses, 100 year weather event, etc.
  2. Sandy Harche spoke of the short-term fix using part-time help. She said, “The long-term question is when 6thGraders graduate, where will the extra teacher be deployed?” Dr. Creeden spoke of the elementary school budgeting process.He said each school year, the budget is reset to ‘0’. He, the BSC and the principals will look at priorities, with one of the highest priorities being maintaining class size withinthe historical range.They will get budgeting guidance from Town Treasurer Kathy Benevento.He noted that 70% of the town dollars is spent on PreK-Grade12 education each year.The BSC will have to prioritize the rightbalance of classroom teachers with the right supports for them. The schools must move forward with digital learning and the physical plant needs of the schools must also be considered.He said the BSC will need to have an ongoing dialogue with the FinCom regarding the school budget.

1.)Revenue sources are: tax revenues and state aid.

2.)Dr. Creeden said the budget narrative will be distributed in January.

3.)One of the parents commented that redeploying the 6thGrade teacher to keep classes sizes at 20 students and below was a higher priority for her than technology.

4.)P. Messenger noted that there were fifty-four (54)elementary school classes several years ago. She said the schools have increased class sections before and will do it again; smaller class sizes are a priority. She said this year’s Elementary School Budget was not set up to have classes with 24 students.

5.)Another parent asked “How do we (as parents) give the BSC (our) input into the budgeting process; should we draft petitions?” H. Vaz thanked the parents for attending this meeting and said “the BSC hears you and agrees with you”. She said continued communication between the BSCand parents is very important. The budget process begins in January. If the budget has to go into override, parental support will be needed in April before Town Meeting. Hopefully there won’t be an override; the schools haven’t had to do that in quite a while.

6.)Chairperson D. Rivers told the audience: if you campaign to pass potential override, the BSC can’t be involved in campaigning.

7.)Kerry Langlois spoke: she said she liked the idea of adding aides, but was concerned about the over-scheduling of 4th Grade. She said she doesn’t like the idea of 4thGraders having multiple teachers and wants self-contained classes.

8.)Dr. Creeden urged the audience to lobby your legislators/representatives for more local aid to our town.