OPEN SESSION
SHARON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
School Committee Meeting
Administration Building
One School Street
Sharon, MA 02067
Present: Mr.
Glenn Allen, Mr. Mitchell Blaustein, Ms. Linda Callan, Mr. Donald Gilligan
(arrived at 8:20 p.m.), Mr. Sam Liao and Ms. Alison Rutley
Also present: Dr. Barbara Dunham, Dr. Judy Levin-Charns, Kevin
OÕRourke, Middle School Principal, Ms. Susan Owen, Business Manager, Mr. Jim
Hardy from MASC, members of the community and a member of the press
Mr. Liao called the Open
Session meeting to order at 8:00 p.m.
ADMINISTRATIVE/REGULAR
ITEMS
Open Forum
There were no members of
the community present for Open Forum.
Correspondence
Mr. Allen summarized the
following correspondence:
¥ Three parents of a kindergarten children wrote expressing their opinion on the
kindergarten lottery process.
¥Numerous correspondence
was received from staff endorsing the candidacy of Dr. Dunham for the position
of Superintendent of Schools:
- Cottage Street School
staff members
- Middle School staff
members
- East Elementary staff
members
- Janet Picheny, ELA
secondary school coordinator
- Joan LaCroix, Science
secondary school coordinator
- Mr. Lechter, husband of
Susan Lechter, who is an employee of the SPS
- Leslie Shapiro, teacher
at Cottage Street School
- Gail Van Den Berghe,
former employee
- Joyce Rubino, current employee
- Rebecca Kaminsky and
Lisa Fireman, teachers at East Elementary
- Evelyn McMullen, METCO
Director
- Joan Wernick, teacher
at Cottage Street School
- Gail Handler, Secretary
to the Superintendent
Mr. Liao stated that the
Committee has reviewed and read all of the letters of endorsement.
¥ Marlene Chused, Town
Clerk, sent a letter asking the school administration to consider having no
school on election days. This subject will be a future agenda item.
¥ Received correspondence
from Paul Lauenstein, who submitted water conservation audit reports for each
of the five public schools in Sharon.
Approve Minutes
Minutes from the
Executive and Open Session meeting of January 23, 2008 were submitted to the
Committee via e-mail for corrections/review. Mr. Liao asked for a motion to
approve the minutes as revised and submitted.
MOTION: (Blaustein/Allen) Moved to approve the Executive
and Open Session minutes from the meeting of January 23, 2008 as revised and
submitted. Vote was five in the
affirmative. Mr. Gilligan was not present at the time of the vote.
Minutes from the Open Session meeting of January 30,
2008 were submitted to the Committee via e-mail for corrections/review. Mr.
Liao asked for a motion to approve the minutes as revised and submitted.
MOTION: (Rutley/Allen) Moved to approve the Executive and
Open Session minutes from the meeting of January 30, 2008 as submitted. Vote was five in the affirmative.
Mr. Gilligan was not present at the time of the vote.
Announcements
¥ Dr. Judy Levin-Charns
announced that the Early Childhood Program has received accreditation from
NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children). Congratulations
to Amy Steinberg, Early Childhood Coordinator and Linda Salon, former Early
Childhood Coordinator who began the process.
¥ Dr. Dunham reviewed an
article that appeared in the Sharon Advocate extolling the virtues of offering a course in
personal finance to students. Sharon High School is offering a course in
personal finance for the 2008-2009 school year.
Sharon High School and
Sharon Middle School PTOs are sponsoring an evening with parenting expert,
Joani Geltman on March 6th from 7:00-9:00 p.m. The eveningÕs topic
is Adolescent Psychology: The Parent Version.
¥ Two Heights Elementary
teachers, Maddy Shapiro and Cindy Leary have received a $750 grant from Masscue
(MA Computer Using Educators) for the purchase of three iPods and a microphone
as part of a project to turn the fifth gradersÕ knowledge of Central and South
American history into audio presentations that can be posed on the Internet and
downloaded on MP3 players.
¥ Cottage Street School
is sponsoring a Fun Fair on Sunday, March 9th from 10:00 a.m.
– 4:00 p.m.
¥ Registration for FY09
kindergarten: To date 37 East/Alternataive students have registered for
full-day kindergarten, which would create two full sections. All full day
students will be able to attend their home schools.
¥ Heights Elementary
SchoolÕs PTO is sponsoring an on-line auction. Bids will be accepted up to
March 8th.
¥ On February 8th,
there was a boysÕ varsity basketball game between Oliver Ames High School and
Sharon High School (at Sharon). After the game there was an altercation between
OA students and Sharon High students, where a Sharon student sustained serious
injuries. Dr. Dunham urged anyone who might have information regarding the
altercation to please come forward and to call Sharon High School
administration or the SuperintendentÕs Office. The parking area is maintained
by the Department of Public Works. The subject of installing lights in the
parking lot will be a future agenda item at a subsequent meeting.
¥ Mr. OÕRourke, Middle
School Principal, held a parentÕs night to inform the parents of a threat that
was recently perpetrated against a Middle School student and the precautions
that have been put in place for the safety of students and staff.
Student Representative
Ashley Dewji, student
representative, updated the Committee on recent happenings at the High School:
¥ Student Council will be
delivering balloons and flowers as part of ValentineÕs Day festivities and the
Junior Class will be sponsoring a ValentineÕs Day dance
¥ Yearbook staff is
accepting donations to help victims of the recent tornadoes that ravaged the
south.
¥ BoysÕ Basketball will
sponsor a school dance on Saturday, Feb. 16th. A portion of the
proceeds from the dance will be donated to the Jimmy Fund.
¥ Model UN will sponsor
the play, God Grew Tired of Us.
¥ Winter sports is
wrapping up with Hockomock play-offs starting on Friday, Feb. 15th.
¥ School vacation –
Feb. 18th – Feb.
22nd.
SUPERINTENDENTÕS ITEMS
Spotlight: Sharon
Middle School – Kevin OÕRourke
Kevin OÕRourke, Middle
School Principal, featured a Compass Group initiative, which is taking place at
the Middle School with the goal to improve school culture and climate:
Goals of the program:
¥ Build community among
students from different grades
¥ Build connections
between students and adult staff members
¥ Develop student peer
leaders at 7th/8th grades
¥ Reinforce selected
Middles School rules and values/health & well being instruction/life skills
¥ Provide a vehicle for
collecting student opinions/conducting surveys re: designated topics
¥ Allow students to
participate in brainstorming and problem-solving sessions relating to school
rules, values and climate
There was a Q&A
session with the Committee on the initiative its effectiveness and how it is
implemented during the school day without infringing on time-on-learning.
Noteworthy happenings at
the Middle School:
- The Math Group won
first place in their recent competition and will advance to the state level.
- Janet Applefield, a
Holocaust survivor, in conjunction with Teen Speak Out and Facing History and
Ourselves will be the guest speaker at assemblies on February 25th
and 26th.
Mr. Liao, on behalf of
the Committee and Administration, thanked Mr. OÕRourke for such an informative
presentation.
Dr. Dunham stated that
the School Department has received a donation from the Chinese New Year
Committee and asked the School Committee to vote an appropriation from the
donation for t-shirts that would support the Middle School spirit initiative.
Approximately $4,000 would be used to purchase t-shirts for the student body at
$5 ea.
MOTION: (Rutley/Callan) Moved that the Committee accept
the SuperintendentÕs recommendation to transfer up to $4,000 to fund a school
spirit program at the Sharon Middle School. Vote was six in the affirmative.
Mr. OÕRourke and Ms.
Dewji left the meeting at 8:40 p.m.
Quarter 2 Budget
Report
Susan Owen, Business
Manager, reviewed her January 31st memorandum, which highlighted the
FY 08 quarterly 2 report. Areas covered/vetted: Circuit Breaker funds; School
Budget (general fund) – assets, salaries, steps and lanes, maintenance
overtime, electric utility costs, gas utility costs, transportation; Capital
Outlay funds; grants; revolving accounts. Ms. Owen stated that the budget
appears to be in good shape at this point in the year. More definitive
information would be available at the conclusion of the third quarter when
utility bills for the winter have been processed.
Ms. Owen left the meeting
at 8:55 p.m.
Capital Outlay
Prioritization
The Committee
reviewed/discussed the February 8th Prioritized Capital Outlay List
for FY 09. Dr. Dunham stated that the administration (superintendent and
principals) is in agreement that the green colored items are top priority. The
items identified in yellow pertain to the potential Middle School renovation
project. Items at the end of the list suggest prudent management but could be
put on a waiting list without compromising the safety and security of the
school department. Mr. Liao stated that in order to meet the requirements of the
MSBA (MA School Building Authority) an additional item should be added –
Operations Project Manager for the Middle School renovation project. Dr. Dunham
will make the necessary changes to the list and forward it to Mr. Linehan for
distribution to the Capital Outlay Committee prior to their next meeting.
DECISION ITEMS
Vote Proposed FY 09
Budget to be Preliminary Budget
Dr. Dunham stated that
there have been no changes to the budget that was presented at the Open Budget
hearing on February 6th. A formal vote by the Committee is necessary
in order to put forth this preliminary budget to the Finance Committee.
MOTION: (Callan/Rutley) Moved that the School Committee
approve the preliminary 09 budget as presented by Dr. Dunham based on revenue
allocations that were tentatively approved at the last Priorities Committee
meeting. Vote was six in the affirmatiave.
Prior to the vote being
taken, Dr. Dunham clarified for Mr. Allen how the circuit breaker funds are
expended. The preliminary budget will be forwarded to the Finance Committee
during the week of February 18th.
Vote Redistricting
Proposal – Avalon Bay Area
The proposed
redistricting plan, which would affect new families moving into the Avalon Bay
area, was presented at the Open Budget meeting on February 6th. Dr.
Dunham asked the Committee, if there were no further questions regarding the
proposal, to take a formal vote on the redistricting plan.
MOTION: (Blaustein/Gilligan) Move that the School
Committee approve the Plan B redistricting proposal, which would only effect
new families moving into the Avalon Bay area. Vote was six in the
affirmative.
Prior to the vote being
taken, Dr. Dunham clarified for Mr. Allen that
there would not be additional transportation costs for students to be
transported to Heights Elementary rather than Cottage Street School.
Vote to Accept
Donation from Lueders Environmental
Dr. Dunham asked the
Committee to vote acceptance of a $50 donation from Lueders Environmental, Inc.
As stated in the January 24th letter from Michael Lueders, the
donation is for the school department to use in any way deemed appropriate.
MOTION: (Gilligan/Rutley) Moved that the Committee accept
the $50 donation from Lueders Environmental, Inc., which would be deposited in
the district-wide donation account. Vote was six in the affirmative.
Vote Out-of-State
Field Trip
Dr. Dunham asked that the
Committee vote to approve the out-of-state field trip for Middle school
students to attend a presentation of the play, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry.
MOTION: (Blaustein/Allen) Moved to approve the
out-of-state field trip for Middle School students as proposed by Dr. Dunham. Vote
was six in the affirmative.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
MSBA Update
(Compliance, etc.)
Due to the lateness of
the hour, this item was tabled for the February 27th meeting.
Present After School
Math Program
Due to the lateness of
the hour, this item was tabled for the February 27th meeting.
Discuss/Vote Finalists
for Superintendent
Prior to the discussion
on the Superintendent finalists, Dr. Dunham recused herself from the meeting at
9:37 p.m. as she is one of the finalists.
There was a brief
discussion on the protocol to be followed for the discussion of the finalists.
The Superintendent Search Committee put four finalists forward who were interviewed
by the School Committee: Dr. Barbara Dunham, Dr. George Entwistle, Dr. Richard
Silverman, and Dr. Christine Tyrie. Mr. Liao, as Chair, would call on each
School Committee individually at which time they will recommend a finalist. A
site visit of the finalist or finalistsÕ home school district would then be
scheduled. School Committee members reviewed focus group summaries and surveys
with respect to selecting the best-suited candidate for the Sharon Public
Schools.
Mr. Gilligan, Ms. Callan
and Ms. Rutley and Mr. Blaustein recommended a site visit for finalist Dr.
George H. Entwistle, 3rd, who is currently Superintendent of the
Falmouth Public Schools in Falmouth, Maine.
Mr. Allen and Mr. Liao
recommended a site visit for finalist Dr. Barbara Dunham, who is currently
interim Superintendent for the Sharon Public Schools.
After a lengthy
discussion on finalistÕs qualifications, Mr. Liao asked for the Committee to
vote.
MOTION: (Blaustein/Rutley) Moved that the School Committee
schedule a site visit for Dr. George H. Entwistle, 3rd from
Falmouth, Maine. Vote was six in the affirmative.
Mr. Allen put forth the
following motion:
MOTION: (Allen/Liao) Moved that the School Committee
schedule a site visit for Dr. Barbara Dunham, interim Superintendent. Vote was
Mr. Allen and Mr. Liao in the affirmative. Mr. Blaustein, Ms. Callan, Mr.
Gilligan and Ms. Rutley in the negative. Motion did not carry.
Mr. Hardy, MASC
representative, at the direction of the School Committee, will contact Mr.
Entwistle and arrange a site visit. Mr. Hardy will also contact the other three
finalists to inform them of the School Committee vote.
OTHER BUSINESS
There being no further
business to come before the Committee, Mr. Liao asked for a motion to adjourn.
MOTION: (Blaustein/Rutley ) Moved to adjourn Open
Session. Vote was six in the affirmative.
Open Session was
adjourned at 10:39 p.m.
Submitted on behalf of
the School Committee by: Helen Campanario, Recording Secretary to the
School Committee