SC Meeting Minutes March 28, 2016 Page 8.
MINUTES
MEETING OF THE BRAINTREE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Thursday March 28, 2016 7:00 PM Braintree High School
School Committee Present: Cyril Chafe/Thomas Devin/Lisa Fiske Heger/George Kokoros/Kate Naughton/David Ringius/Mayor Joseph Sullivan
Administration: Superintendent of Schools – Dr. Frank Hackett
Assistant Superintendent of Schools – Ms. Jennifer Fay-Beers
Business Manager – Mr. Edward Cronin
Student Representative: Edmond Bousaleh
Recorder: Diane Intravaia
- CALL TO ORDER
Ms. Fiske Heger called the meeting to order at 7:34 pm. at Braintree High School. She noted there will be two Public Hearings this evening, one on the FY2017 Budget and the other on the School Choice 2016-2017.
- PUBLIC HEARING
- Fiscal Year 2017 Budget
Ms. Fiske Heger asked if there was a motion to open the Public Hearing for the Fiscal Year 2017 Budget.
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Mr. Kokoros and seconded by Mr. Chafe to open the Public Hearing on the Fiscal year 2017 Budget.
ROLL CALL: AYES – 7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
Dr. Hackett indicated he has copies (up front on the table) of the presentation he is about to present in addition to copies of the 10 Budget Articles that will be voted on this evening. He noted this evening’s presentation is the same presentation he gave at the last School Committee meeting on March 21st. He stated the Budget Subcommittee met again on Thursday March 24th and reviewed the budget again and the10 articles of the FY17 Budget.
The following slide provided budget comparisons as follows:
UPDATED BUDGET COMPARISONS
Budget / FY16 / FY17 / Change $ / Change % / NotesLevel Service / $59,508,827 / $61,573,920 / $2,065,093 / 3.47% / Cost to roll over from FY16
Maintenance of Effort / $59,508,827 / $62,005,720 / $2,496,893 / 4.19% / Cost to meet projected obligations
Recommended / $59,508,827 / $62,108,827 / $2,600,000 / 4.37% / Recommended FY17 Budget
ADJUSTED Priority Group: High / $59,508,827 / $62,195,720
(62,755,620) / $2,686,893
(2,849,793) / 4.51%
(4.79%) / Highest priorities of FY17 $162,900 Moved into Recommended
Priority Group: Moderate / $59,508,827 / $62,755,620 / $3,246,793 / 5.17% / Moderate priorities for FY17: Preplanning FY18
Future Planning / $59,508,827 / Under Development / Preplanning FY18-FY20
The Recommended Budget for FY17 is $62,108,827. Below are items within the budget. MOE stands for Maintenance of Effort and PGH stands for Priority Group: High.
RECOMMENDED BUDGET
Description / Amount / Budget / NotesSped Tuition* / $146,507 / MOE / Projected
PE @ BHS / $55,000 / MOE / New Schedule implementation: Cost avoidance
1.0 Para STRIVES / $16,000 / MOE / Support STRIVES program
.5 Nurse / $27,500 / MOE / Support pre-school STRIVES @BHS
BCBA District Wide / $60,000 / MOE / Support for in-district programs
.2 Psychologist @ MSKC / $12,500 / MOE / Brings current to full time
IT Tech / $52,000 / MOE / Brings IT staff to full
.6 PE/Health MS / $27,500 / PGH / Eliminates hared staff, lowers class sizes in both middle schools
.6 Guidance @ SMS / $30,000 / PGH / Enrollment driven – requested multiple years
1.0 Instrumental BHS & South / $55,000 / PGH / Eliminates shared MS staffing, growth of program at BHS (tripled in last 10 years) – 400 students w/1.4 existing staff
.38 Reading specialist @ MSKC / $22,900 / PGH / Brings reading specialist 1.0 FTE
Total: / $534,907
*Includes only projected, NOT potential unanticipated
Dr. Hackett also stated, through cost neutral additions, 1.0 teacher for STRIVES at BHS and an ELL teacher (district wide) will be added. These additions are due to shifting populations to BHS from LINKS (repurposing existing position) and service increasing ELL compliance (reallocating grant).
Moving on in the presentation, Dr. Hackett reviewed Braintree’s per pupil expenditures versus the State per pupil expenditures. He stated that included in the State average per pupil dollar figure are data from over 300 school systems across the state. The number, while good for providing some context as to how Braintree’s per pupil expenditure number compares, is not necessarily a target that school systems use to benchmark their own expenditure levels. However, having said that, it is clear from the slide presentation that the gap is closing between what BPS is spending per pupil and the State average. For example, in 2010 BPS spent $10,926.58 versus the State average of $13,047.43; whereas in 2015 BPS spent $13,837.58 and the State spent $14,919.84. The next slide indicated the BPS per pupil expenditure average went up almost 6% whereas the State per pupil expenditure average went up only 2.8%, over the past 5 years.
On April 1st the School Committee Adopted FY17 Budget is presented to Mayor Sullivan. Finally, on May 2nd Mayor Sullivan presents the FY17 School Committee & all Town Departments budgets to the Braintree Town Council.
Mayor Sullivan noted all the work that has been done on this budget. He thanked Superintendent Hackett, his entire team at the central office, all the administrators, principals, teachers and everyone who came together to put a very thoughtful budget forth for approval. This budget continues Braintree on the path of growth and focus on education. He also expressed appreciation to Madam Chair - Ms. Fiske Heger, members of the School Committee as well as the Budget Subcommittee. Mayor Sullivan conveyed his confidence in the thorough process to which this budget has been developed. Mayor Sullivan is looking forward to BPS continuing to grow with the solid funding recommended in this budget.
Mr. Ringius thanked everyone involved in the budget process. He reminded the community this is one of the most important processes the School Committee takes on each year. He extended his appreciation to the Budget Sub Committee; Ms. Fiske Heger, Mr. Kokoros and Mr. Devin. Mr. Ringius believes the Sub Committee has been put to good use over the last few years. In addition, he thanked Dr. Hackett and his staff. He also thanked Mayor Sullivan for his continued commitment to education in the town of Braintree. Mr. Ringius noted each year BPS continues to add to their curriculum and schools and these improvements directly impact students.
Student Representative, Edmond Bousaleh asked Dr. Hackett to clarify what the first 3% of the budget is being spent on. Dr. Hackett stated the majority of the 3% Mr. Bousaleh is referring to is tied to contractual and fixed cost increases, such as tuition, utilities, transportation and other items that essentially represent the cost of ‘doing business’ year-over-year.
George Kokoros reiterated the comments of other School Committee members. He feels the budget process went very smoothly and he feels over the past few years BPS has developed a process to come up with a reasonable budget that prioritizes services that are necessary to move forward and improve. He pointed out that this year the Budget Sub Committee put together a budget with different levels (Level Service, Maintenance of Effort, and Priority: High, etc.). This budget layout allows BPS to operate this coming year with a further look into the future in order to anticipate costs and provide for multi-year planning. Mr. Kokoros thanked Mayor Sullivan and Dr. Hackett for their support.
Ms. Julie Jacobs came forward to inquire as to the reason behind the addition of .2 Psychologists to a full time position. Mayor Sullivan asked Ms. Jacobs to share with the community her professional background. Ms. Jacobs is a Probation Officer in the criminal court in Boston and prior to her current position she worked for the Department of Children and Families (DCF). Mayor Sullivan stated Dr. Hackett recommended the addition to bring the position to a full-time capacity (5 days a week) in order to be supportive of children who need assistance within BPS and hopefully reach the child’s family in an attempt to provide all we can to make the child’s school environment as productive and as comfortable as possible.
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Mr. Kokoros and seconded by Mr. Chafe to close the Public Hearing on the Fiscal year 2017 Budget.
ROLL CALL: AYES – 7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
- CONSIDERATION OF APPROVALS
- FY2017 Budget Articles
- FY2017 Proposed Budget
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Mr. Ringius and seconded by Mr. Kokoros to accept Article 1: Elementary Schools Administration in the amount of $1,236,498.
ROLL CALL: AYES – 7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Mr. Ringius and seconded by Mr. Kokoros to accept Article 2: Middle School Administration in the amount of $711,566.
ROLL CALL: AYES – 7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Mr. Ringius and seconded by Mr. Kokoros to accept Article 3: High School Administration in the amount of $971,212.
ROLL CALL: AYES – 7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Mr. Ringius and seconded by Mr. Kokoros to accept Article 4: Curriculum and Instruction in the amount of $46,771,091.
ROLL CALL: AYES – 7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Mr. Ringius and seconded by Mr. Kokoros to accept Article 5: Curriculum Development and Professional Development in the amount of $206,525.
ROLL CALL: AYES – 7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Mr. Ringius and seconded by Mr. Kokoros to accept Article 6: Building and Grounds Maintenance and Utilities in the amount of $4,380,254.
ROLL CALL: AYES – 7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Mr. Ringius and seconded by Mr. Kokoros to accept Article 7: Regular Education Transportation in the amount of $1,520,769.
ROLL CALL: AYES – 7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Mr. Ringius and seconded by Mr. Kokoros to accept Article 8: Athletics in the amount of $818,810.
ROLL CALL: AYES – 7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Mr. Ringius and seconded by Mr. Kokoros to accept Article 9: All Other District-wide Services in the amount of $4,588,206.
ROLL CALL: AYES – 7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Mr. Ringius and seconded by Mr. Kokoros to accept Article 10: Technology and Data Processing in the amount of $903,896.
ROLL CALL: AYES – 7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Mr. Ringius and seconded by Mr. Kokoros to accept the Recommended FY2017 Braintree Public Schools Budget in the amount of $62,108,827.
ROLL CALL: AYES – 7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Mr. Ringius and seconded by Mr. Kokoros that the Superintendent is authorized to transfer up to $100,000 between any of the above categories during the current fiscal year. In an emergency, the Superintendent is authorized to transfer additional funds with consultation and approval of the School Committee Chairperson. The School Committee will be informed of any emergency fund transfers at the next School Committee meeting.
ROLL CALL: AYES – 7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
PUBLIC HEARING
B. School Choice 2016-2017
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Ms. Naughton and seconded by Mr. Kokoros to open the Public Hearing on School Choice Program for 2016 - 2017 school year.
ROLL CALL: AYES – 7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
Dr. Hackett reported in accordance with the Education Reform Act, the Braintree Public Schools has to decide each school year whether or not to participate in the School Choice Program. Dr. Hackett informed the School Committee in the past Braintree has not participated in the program for various reasons (i.e. space issues) nor does he see any advantages to participate. Dr. Hackett recommends the School Committee adopt a resolution withdrawing from the obligation to participate in the School Choice Program for the 2016-2017 school year and Opt Out of School Choice due to space constraints and availability of programing for students.
Mr. Ringius stated this has been the process of the Braintree School Committee and we have our own space issues and our own space constraints. Mr. Ringius is favor of continuing with the action that the Braintree School Committee has taken in the past to Opt Out of School Choice for 2016-2017.
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Mr. Kokoros and seconded by Mr. Chafe to close the Public Hearing on School Choice Program for 2016-2017 school year.
ROLL CALL: AYES – 7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Mr. Kokoros and seconded by Mr. Chafe to withdraw Braintree Public Schools from participating in the School Choice Program for the 2016 -2017 school year.
ROLL CALL: AYES – 7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
- SUPERINTENDENT REPORT
- Gifts to Schools
Braintree High School donation
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Mayor Sullivan and seconded by Mr. Chafe to accept as a gift to schools a check in the amount of $2,000 to be used for the Credit for Life at Braintree High School.
ROLL CALL: AYES –7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
Highland Elementary School donation
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY: Upon a motion by Mayor Sullivan and seconded by Mr. Kokoros to accept as a gift to schools a check in the amount of $500 in memory of Barbara Swain, who was a volunteer at the Highlands School and who recently passed away.
ROLL CALL: AYES –7
Mr. Chafe/Mr. Devin/Ms. Fiske Heger/Mr. Kokoros/Ms. Naughton/Mr. Ringius/Mayor Sullivan
- First Reading of Proposed 2016/2017 School Calendar (No Action)
Dr. Hackett requested a first read of a DRAFT version of the 2016-2017 BPS school calendar. He noted that he is still working with the Braintree Teacher’s Association to finalize the calendar. The calendar has been reformatted to include a breakdown of events by months. In addition, the new format provides school hours, School Committee information and contact information for each school. Dr. Hackett also noted the calendar reflects the elimination of a staggered start and end for freshman students. BHS feels they can handle freshman orientation in a different way without having a staggered start and end. The 2016/2017 presidential Election Day in November is a NO SCHOOL day for students and a full Professional Development (PD) day for staff. Lastly, the April vacation dates have been corrected. Dr. Hackett will look to bring the 2016/2017 school calendar back for a final approval at the next School Committee meeting.