School Committee

LOWELL SCHOOL COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, September 07, 2016 TIME 6:36 PM SALUTE TO FLAG: 1. - SALUTE TO FLAG: ROLL CALL: 2. - ROLL CALL: On a roll call at 6:36 p.m., members present were, namely: Ms. Doherty, Mr. Gendron, Mr. Gignac, Mr. Hoey, Mayor Kennedy and Mr. Descoteaux. Ms. Martin was absent. MINUTES: 3. 2016 / 336 - Approval of the Minutes of the Regularly Scheduled School Committee Meeting of Wednesday, August 17, 2016 VOTING Motion by: Robert Hoey Second by: Robert Gignac Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 2 of 20) PERMISSION TO ENTER: 4. 2016 / 343 - Deputy Superintendent of Schools Jeannine Durkin, Contract Approval VOTING Motion by: Stephen Gendron Second by: Jacqueline Doherty Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie 5. 2016 / 344 - Interim Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Assessment Robin Desmond, Contract Approval VOTING Motion by: Jacqueline Doherty Second by: Andre Descoteaux Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 3 of 20) 6. 2016 / 352 - Permission to Enter: September 7, 2016 VOTING Motion by: Robert Gignac Second by: Robert Hoey Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: 7. 2016 / 358 - Jonathan Richmond , to speak about Issues of Governance Facing the Lowell School Committee MOTIONS: 8. 2016 / 354 - [by Robert Hoey]: Respectfully request the Superintendent or designee to report on all Human Resource Office initiatives since July 2015. VOTING Motion by: Robert Hoey Second by: Stephen Gendron Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 4 of 20) Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie SUBCOMMITTEES: 9. 2016 / 334 - Facilities: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of Thursday, August 11, 2016 [Steve Gendron, Chairperson] Mr. Gendron, Chairperson of the Facilities Subcommittee moved to accept the report. Mr. Gendron previously reported out on this Subcommittee at the Lowell School Committee Meeting on August 17, 2016. The report was accepted as a report of progress. VOTING Motion by: Stephen Gendron Second by: Andre Descoteaux Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 5 of 20) 10. - A motion was made for the School Business Administrator to make a recommendation to the Finance Subcommittee regarding transfers. VOTING Motion by: Robert Gignac Second by: Stephen Gendron Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie 10.1. - A motion was made to develop a time line regarding year end surplus projections annually. VOTING Motion by: Robert Gignac Second by: Stephen Gendron Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 6 of 20) 10.1.1 2016 / 335 - Finance: Report and approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of . Wednesday, August 17, 2016 [Robert Gignac, Chair] Mr. Gignac, Chairperson of the Finance Subcommittee spoke to the Committee about the FY 2016 Year End Financial Reports, Independent Audit Schedule and the FY2017 Year-to-Date Financial Records. Mr. Gignac spoke about the budget process. The revised budget total is $158,010,396 and from the total budget $155,991,000 has been expended through August 11, 2016. The remaining budget includes $1,967,724 encumbered for purchases. At this time the available budget shows $51,671.01 as remaining. The Lowell Public Schools has spent less than budgeted. He also spoke about transfers and the circuit breaker and how that account is used to pay for supplemental tuition costs for SPED students. The circuit breaker revolving fund as of June 30, 2016 had $2.8 million dollars of which $548,000 exceeds the allowable carryforward limit. School districts are only allowed to carry over one (1) years’ worth of state circuit breaker aid and for Lowell that amount is $2.3 million dollars. The $548,000 dollars will revert to the city’s general fund when the city closes its books. The city will close its books in September. A motion was then made for the School Business Administrator to make a recommendation to the Finance Subcommittee regarding transfers. The motion passed. The Subcommittee also requested that in the future they would like to know the projected amount left and would like it to be presented to the body as a whole as they feel they should decide how to spend those additional monies. Another motion was then made to develop a time line regarding year end surplus projections annually. The motion passed. The report was accepted as a report of progress. VOTING Motion by: Robert Hoey Second by: Robert Gignac Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 7 of 20) 11. 2016 / 355 - Lowell High Subcommittee: Report and Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of Monday, August 29, 2016 [Robert Gignac, Chair] Mr. Gignac, Chairperson of the Lowell High Subcommittee spoke to the Committee about the following motions that were made by Mayor Kennedy: “Request that the Superintendent and the Lowell High School Administration provide a report regarding the number of Lowell High School graduates that have gone on to a 4 year college or a 2 year college over each of the past 5 years. The report should include an analysis that explains why the number of graduates who attend college is low and what action the Lowell High School Administration is taking to improve the percentage.” “Request that the Superintendent or Lowell High School Headmaster provide an update on the progress being made by the STEM Steering Committee in establishing a STEM curriculum at Lowell High School.” “Request that the Superintendent and the Lowell High School Administration assess the current curriculum and course offerings at Lowell High School and develop improvements to the curriculum and identify any needs that would have to be incorporated into the design of a new high school facility.” “Request that the Superintendent and the Lowell High School Administration provide a report that addresses the issues regarding suspensions and expulsions cited in the recent 2014-15 Student Discipline Data Report from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The report should include an analysis why certain suspensions and expulsions are so high at Lowell High School and what action is being taken to reduce the number of suspensions and expulsions.” Chairperson Gignac informed the Committee that Mr. Martin, Head of School informed the Subcommittee that since the current leadership started in July 2013 there has been considerable effort placed on the college application, financial aid process and school visit effort. The high school has reorganized the Guidance Department and Career Center with two (2) full time counselors. The counselors schedule individual meetings with students and provide support for the application and scholarship process. Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 8 of 20) The high school has also established a Career Counselor to assist in internship, externship, job application support as well as support for the Perkins Federal Grant funds that supports the programs in Culinary, Business, Media and Marketing. The Career Center presently partners with the GLWIB to assist in part time employment opportunities for our students placing a person at Lowell High School once a week. The high school also works cooperatively with the Counselors and support team that is assigned to Lowell High through the Middlesex Community College partnerships in TRIO, Gear Up and Upward Bound. Mr. Martin feels that working with Middlesex Community College is one of the high school’s most important partnerships. Mr. Gignac also spoke about the STEM program at Lowell High School and noted that the Freshman Academy Maker Space is fully functional and ready for students. In addition, the high school has received a grant through the Massachusetts Clean Energy Council in collaboration with the Project LEARN staff that has provided funds for curriculum development as well as paid internships for our students with Clean Energy Companies. The report also addressed the Educational Visionary & Programming Summary document that was provided to the Subcommittee that was received from the recently contracted architectural firm Perkins Eastman. The Educational program component “considers the ED-Program the basis for design”. This document will weigh the feasibility of the current location and the Cawley Stadium site and inform the district that after they finish reviewing the high school plans and the Cawley Stadium site plans they will make a recommendation on what site to build the new high school at. While making their final design decision they look at all educational programs and what the schools needs are. Mr. Gignac concluded speaking about the suspension data. The high school provided an analysis on the high school suspensions and expulsion data to the Subcommittee. The suspension numbers show that they’re trending downward and the intervention strategies show that they have made a significant difference in school attendance and academic success. Mr. Gignac also spoke about the PALS program at Lowell High School which is an afterschool program which strives to positively impact the lives of young people by providing peer support and learning opportunities. The goal is to help juniors and seniors gradate high school on time and prepare them to succeed in post-secondary education or a career. The report was accepted as a report of progress. VOTING Motion by: Robert Gignac Second by: Robert Hoey Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 9 of 20) Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie REPORTS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT: 12. 2016 / 338 - Lowell High School Graduates Attending College Superintendent Khelfaoui spoke about the Lowell High Graduates Attending College Report that he had received from Paul Schlichtman, Coordinator of Research, Testing and Assessment. Superintendent Khelfaoui spoke about how Lowell compares to others in the state. He also wants to address this issue further by having all stakeholders come to a future School Committee meeting to further discuss this very important topic. A motion was made to accept all the Reports of the Superintendent from 2016/338 thru 2016/350 as reports of progress. The motion passed. 13. 2016 / 357 - Response to Robert Gignac's Motion of 07/20/16 Regarding Opiate Abuse Prevention & Awareness Efforts for 2016-2017 The report Regarding Opiate Abuse Prevention & Awareness Efforts for 2016-2017 from Lowell High School included a summary of activities from the 2015-2016 school year as well as the future plans for this coming school year. It also stated that Lowell High School participates in the City Manager’s Opiate Task Force. Mr. Gignac asked for more information about how all the schools are addressing this issue. A motion was made to accept all the Reports of the Superintendent from 2016/338 thru 2016/350 as reports of progress. The motion passed. Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 10 of 20) 14. 2016 / 360 - Response to Mayor Kennedy's Motion of 07/20/16 Regarding STEM Curriculum at Lowell High School The STEM Curriculum at Lowell High School report addressed the STEM program at Lowell High School and noted that the Freshman Academy Maker Space is fully functional and ready for students. In addition, the high school has received a grant through the Massachusetts Clean Energy Council in collaboration with the Project LEARN staff that has provided funds for curriculum development as well as paid internships for our students with Clean Energy Companies. This report was spoken about during the Lowell High Subcommittee report as well. A motion was made to accept all the Reports of the Superintendent from 2016/338 thru 2016/350 as reports of progress. The motion passed. 15. 2016 / 359 - Response to Mayor Kennedy's Motion of 07/20/16 Regarding LHS Current Curriculum and Couse Offerings and a New High School Facility The report regarding LHS Current Curriculum and Course Offerings and a New High School Facility referenced the Educational Visionary & Programming Summary document that had been provided to the Subcommittee and that was received from the recently contracted architectural firm Perkins Eastman. The Educational program component “considers the ED-Program the basis for design”. This document will weigh the feasibility of the current location and the Cawley Stadium site and inform the district that after they finish reviewing the high school plans and the Cawley Stadium site plans they will make a recommendation on what site to build the new high school at. While making their final design decision they look at all educational programs and what the schools needs are. This report was spoken about during the Lowell High Subcommittee report as well. A motion was made to accept all the Reports of the Superintendent from 2016/338 thru 2016/350 as reports of progress. The motion passed. Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 11 of 20) 16. 2016 / 339 - Comparison of Previous Salary Structure to the New Structure for Professional Development The Comparison of Previous Salary Structure to the New Structure for Professional Development report provided an explanation of Title I and Title IIA savings due to the new plan for implementation of the LTA and Cohorts A, B and C Leadership Professional Learning Communities for school based and central office administrators. A motion was made to accept all the Reports of the Superintendent from 2016/338 thru 2016/350 as reports of progress. The motion passed. 17. 2016 / 345 - Elementary and Middle School Enrollment Report 2016-2017 The Elementary and Middle School Enrollment Report for 2016-2017 showed the enrollment numbers for the 2016-2017 school year as of August 31, 2016. The report explained that the addition of the two grade 5 classrooms at both the Rogers STEM Academy and Wang Middle School have reduced the grade 5 student population at the Daley, Sullivan, Stoklosa and Robinson Middle Schools from an average class size of 33/31 students per class to an average class size of 28 students per class. A motion was made to accept all the Reports of the Superintendent from 2016/338 thru 2016/350 as reports of progress. The motion passed. 18. - A motion was made to approve the revisions to the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan and to ask the Superintendent to clarify the time frame. VOTING Motion by: Stephen Gendron Second by: Jacqueline Doherty Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 12 of 20) Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie 18.1. 2016 / 346 - Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan Revision A motion was made to approve the revisions to the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan and to ask the Superintendent to clarify the time frame. The motion passed. 19. 2016 / 347 - DESE Notification of LHS Disproportionate Suspension Data The DESE Notification of LHS Disproportionate Suspension Data report that was provided to the Committee was a response regarding a request for a copy of the notification from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education regarding data reflecting one cohort of students. The letter was provided during the August 17, 2016 School Committee meeting, however, the document that described how the discrepancy and disproportionality calculations were made was inadvertently not included. The information requested was included in the report for the School Committee’s review. A motion was made to accept all the Reports of the Superintendent from 2016/338 thru 2016/350 as reports of progress. The motion passed. Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 13 of 20) 20. 2016 / 361 - Response to Mayor Kennedy's Motion of 07/20/16 Regarding DESE Data Report on LHS Suspensions and Expulsions The report regarding DESE Data and LHS Suspensions and Expulsions shared an analysis of the high school suspensions and expulsion data. The suspension numbers show that they’re trending downward and the intervention strategies show that they have made a significant difference in school attendance and academic success. The report also spoke about the PALS program at Lowell High School which is an afterschool program which strives to positively impact the lives of young people by providing peer support and learning opportunities. The goal is to help juniors and seniors gradate high school on time and prepare them to succeed in post-secondary education or a career. This report was also discussed during the Lowell High Subcommittee portion of the meeting. A motion was made to accept all the Reports of the Superintendent from 2016/338 thru 2016/350 as reports of progress. The motion passed. 21. 2016 / 348 - Raptor System The Raptor System report informed the Committee that the Raptor System was purchased for each school as well as the Central Administration Office. The Raptor System is an internet-based program that allows schools to scan the driver’s licenses of individuals and automatically log the visitor’s name, address and partial license plate number into a data-base that searches a National Sex Offender Registry. Additionally the system will print visitor, staff and student identification badges. A motion was made to accept all the Reports of the Superintendent from 2016/338 thru 2016/350 as reports of progress. The motion passed. Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 14 of 20) 22. 2016 / 350 - Lowell Public Schools Opening Day The Lowell Public Schools Opening Day report informed the Committee that an opening day celebration and pep really took place at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium at 7:30 a.m. on August 29th. All staff members in all collective bargaining units and all affiliated and unaffiliated staff members were on hand to be honored by our administration and unions. A motion was made to accept all the Reports of the Superintendent from 2016/338 thru 2016/350 as reports of progress. The motion passed. 22.1. - A motion was made to accept all the Report of the Superintendent from 2016/338 thru 2016/350 as reports of progress. VOTING Motion by: Robert Hoey Second by: Stephen Gendron Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 15 of 20) 23. 2016 / 351 - Home Education Superintendent Khelfaoui recommended that the following parents/guardians be allowed to home educate their child: 1. Candace & Thomas Lawrence 92 Holyrod Avenue 2. Nathaniel Alzale & Corey Phomvea Sr. 99 Hollis Street 3. Sarah Lamothe & Jonathan Poole 22 Forest Street 4. Kelsey Stevens 51 Arlington Street 5. Bianca & Jared Thibault 25 Farmland Road VOTING Motion by: Jacqueline Doherty Second by: Andre Descoteaux Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 16 of 20) NEW BUSINESS: 24. 2016 / 340 - Permission to Post; PALS Program Head Coach This position is for 12 hours per week (September 2016 – June 2017). The rate is $22.00 per hour. VOTING Motion by: Stephen Gendron Second by: Jacqueline Doherty Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie 25. 2016 / 341 - Permission to Post; Preschool Expansion Grant (PEG) Data Manager This position is for 15 hours per week over 45 weeks (September 2016 – June 2017). The rate is $30.00 per hour. VOTING Motion by: Robert Hoey Second by: Andre Descoteaux Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 17 of 20) 26. 2016 / 342 - Permission to Post; PALS Program Assistant Head Coach This position is for 6 hours per week (September 2016 – June 2017). The rate is $15.00 per hour. VOTING Motion by: Robert Gignac Second by: Robert Hoey Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie 27. 2016 / 353 - Approval of a Study Proposal Jennifer Bauer a former Lowell High teacher and currently the Communications Department Chair at Middlesex Community College is pursuing her doctorate and is seeking permission to conduct research among fifth and sixth grade students at the Wang Middle School. The proposal involves testing students with a focus on formal language acquisition skills for English Language Learners. She will share the data with the Wang School to help improve instruction for those students. Dr. Lorraine Dagostino, a highly published and distinguished UMASS Lowell professor, will serve as Jennifer’s Dissertation Chair. The request was approved. VOTING Motion by: Robert Hoey Second by: Stephen Gendron Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 18 of 20) Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie COMMUNICATIONS: 28. 2016 / 337 - Thank you note from retired Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Claire Abrams. The communication was accepted and placed on file. VOTING Motion by: Robert Gignac Second by: Robert Hoey Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 19 of 20) PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL: 29. 2016 / 356 - The members of the United Teachers of Lowell hereby request to donate fifty two [52] donated sick leave days to Kimberly Bradley, Pyne Arts School teacher VOTING Motion by: Robert Gignac Second by: Stephen Gendron Committee Member YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE Kennedy, Jr, Edward J. x Gendron, Stephen x Descoteaux, Andre x Doherty, Jacqueline x Gignac, Robert x Hoey, Robert x Martin, Connie Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 20 of 20) ADJOURNMENT: 30. - ADJOURNMENT: Motion to adjourn at 7:27 p.m. by Mr. Gignac; seconded by Mr. Hoey 6 yeas, 1 absent Respectfully submitted, Dr. Salah E. Khelfaoui, Superintendent and Secretary to the Lowell School Committee SEK/mes Lowell Public Schools • 43 Highland Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us