School Committee

LOWELL SCHOOL COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Date: December 5, 2018 Time: 6:30PM Location: City Council Chamber, 375 Merrimack Street, 2nd Floor, Lowell, MA 01852 1. SALUTE TO FLAG 2. ROLL CALL On a roll call at 6:32 p.m., all members were present, namely: Ms. Martin, Mr. Nutter, Mayor Samaras, Mr. Descoteaux, Ms. Doherty, Mr. Hoey and Mr. Lay. 3. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS 3.I. Spotlight on Excellence: Pyne Arts Musical - Mr. Steven Rose And Mr. Willie Jones The first Spotlight on Excellence featured students from the Pyne/Arts School singing a song from their recent production of High School Musical Jr. 3.II. Spotlight on Excellence - Roald Dahl Imaginormous Challenge The second Spotlight on Excellence featured Dr. Edward Foster, Sullivan School Principal who provided an overview of the recent competition of the Roald Dahl Imaginormous Challenge and introduced the award recipient from the Sullivan School. Madisyn Koza, wrote a creative 100 word story idea that won her a trip to New York City and a visit to Dylan’s Candy Bar over the summer. Also, as part of her prize, the Sullivan School won a Roald Dahl Library for the school and teaching resources valued at $500.00. 4. MINUTES 4.I. Minutes: Approval of the Minutes of the Regular School Committee Meeting of Wednesday, November 7, 2018. Ms. Doherty made a motion to accept the minutes of the November 7, 2018 and the November 14, 2018 School Committee meetings and to place them on file; seconded by Mr. Descoteaux. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 2 of 9) 4.II. Minutes of Special Meeting: Approval of the Minutes of the Special Meeting of the Lowell School Committee Meeting of Wednesday, November 14, 2018. Ms. Doherty made a motion to accept the minutes of the November 7, 2018 and the November 14, 2018 School Committee meetings and to place them on file; seconded by Mr. Descoteaux. 7 yeas APPROVED 5. PERMISSION TO ENTER 5.I. Permission to Enter: December 5, 2018 Ms. Martin made a motion to approve the Permission to Enter; seconded by Ms. Doherty. 7 yeas APPROVED 6. MEMORIALS 6.I. Anna Sophia Aslanian, Lowell High School Student. 6.II. Jack Spignesi, Father of Christine Adams Behavior Specialist 6.III. Maria Olimpia Meza, Mother of Maria Vejar, LHS House Dean. 6.IV. Joseph Lynch, Father of Sue Rabias, Shaughnessy School Teacher. 6.V. John Caron, Father Of Anne Murphy, Retired Assistant Superintendent For Student Support Services And Patty Myers, Stem District Support Specialist. 7. MOTIONS 7.I. [By Gerard Nutter]: Request update from City Manager on status of Fire Code Violations, Sanitary Code violations /concerns and if ANY of the safety issues noted in Collins Report have been addressed. Mr. Nutter made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 7.II. [By Gerard Nutter]: Schedule a series of Finance Subcommittee meetings at 5:00 pm before the next 3 SC meetings to review process failures in our Financial department and what processes and procedures have been put in place to prevent the financial fiasco we have been left with. Mr. Nutter made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 7.III. [By Gerard Nutter]: Vote to request the Mayor file a motion requesting City Council direct the City Manager to break out cost of Transportation and Adult Education from Cash contribution provided by the City in budget and not act on any Council requests until it is voted on. Mr. Nutter made a motion to approve; seconded by Mr. Hoey. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 3 of 9) 7.IV. [By Dominik Hok Lay and Robert Hoey]: Request that the City Council instruct the city Auditor to provide the members of the School Committee with quarterly reports on the money spent in each line item of the school department budget throughout the fiscal year. Mr. Descoteaux requested that the quarterly reports from the Interim Assistant Superintendent for Finance be presented at the same time. Mr. Lay made a motion to approve; seconded by Mr. Hoey. 7 yeas APPROVED 8. SUBCOMMITTEES 8.I. Lowell High Subcommittee: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of Thursday, November 1, 2018 [Dominik Lay, Chair of Lowell High Subcommittee] Mr. Lay, Chairperson of the Lowell High Subcommittee reported out on this at the Lowell School Committee Meeting on November 7, 2018. Mr. Descoteaux made a motion to accept the report as a report of progress; seconded by Mr. Hoey. 7 yeas APPROVED 9. REPORTS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT 9.I. Update On Andy Descoteaux’s Motion Of 04/04/18 Regarding Salvaged Musical Equipment Sharon Clark, Ed.D, LHS Fine Arts Academic Chair, presented a report to the Committee that showed an overview of all musical instruments in our elementary schools. The report included the quantity, item/description, age, condition, location, unit replacement cost, and total replacement cost as well as each schools updated inventory. Mr. Nutter made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 9.I through 9.VIII as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 9.II. Response to Connie Martin’s Motion Of 03/21/18 Regarding Human Resources Compliance Audit Acting Superintendent Jeannine Durkin informed the Committee that Human Resources Services, Inc. will be available in January to present this report to the Committee. Ms. Martin made a motion to refer the Human Resources Compliance Audit to the Personnel Subcommittee; seconded by Ms. Doherty. 7 yeas APPROVED Mr. Nutter made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 9.I through 9.VIII as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 4 of 9) 9.III. Response to Connie Martin’s Motion Of 04/26/18 Regarding LHS Emergency Evacuation Marianne Busteed, Head of Lowell High School provided a report that gave the Committee a timeline of events that took place during the emergency evacuation on April 6, 2018. The report also included recommendations. Mr. Nutter made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 9.I through 9.VIII as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 9.IV. Response to Gerard Nutter's Motion Of 03/18/18 Regarding Blizzard Bags Robin Desmond, Assistant Superintendent Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment provided a Blizzard Bag update to the Committee. The office of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment created samples of grade level “Cancelled School Day Learning Packets”. The report included samples for grades 1 and 5. The samples include required ELA and math activities and optional science, social studies and virtual field trip activities from which students must complete one. Also included is a sample of a question and answer sheet. The administration made a recommendation to pilot the learning packets for the 2018 – 2019 school year. Mr. Nutter made a motion to accept the recommendation to pilot the learning packets for the 2018 – 2019 school year; seconded by Mr. Hoey. 7 yeas APPROVED Mr. Nutter made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 9.I through 9.VIII as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 9.V. Response to Gerard Nutter’s Motion Of 09/19/18 Regarding Donated Technology Billie Jo Turner, Interim Assistant Superintendent of Finance & Operations provided a report to the Committee regarding donated technology that included a list of minimum requirement guidelines for a building administrator to use when deciding on whether to accept a technology donation. The report also included a recommended policy for receiving donated technology equipment. Mr. Nutter made a motion to approve the policy Receiving Donated Technology Equipment; seconded by Mr. Descoteaux. 7 yeas APPROVED Mr. Nutter made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 9.I through 9.VIII as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 5 of 9) 9.VI. Coordinator of Research, Testing & Assessment Update Acting Superintendent Jeannine Durkin updated the Committee on the Coordinator of Research, Testing & Assessment position. The update stated that the district is improving efficiencies and cutting costs through continued work of job descriptions, including the district’s recent focus on the Coordinator of Research and Data Analysis and Database Administrator. The amended position was received back fully executed from LSAA. Mr. Nutter made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 9.I through 9.VIII as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 9.VII. Enrollment Figures The district enrollment report provided to the Committee showed the breakdown by school and grade through November 30, 2018. Mr. Nutter made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 9.I through 9.VIII as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 9.VIII. Report On Motions Acting Superintendent Jeannine Durkin provided the monthly report on the status of outstanding motions and asked the Committee if they had any concerns or questions. Mr. Nutter made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 9.I through 9.VIII as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 9.IX. Home Education Acting Superintendent Durkin recommended that the following parents/guardians be allowed to home educate their child: Clarivel Marinde Dragas & Dario Dragas 69 Mary Theresa Terrace Scott Scuturio & Geovanie Huertas 188 Cross Street Ms. Doherty made a motion to approve; seconded by Mr. Descoteaux. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 6 of 9) 10. NEW BUSINESS 10.I. Anticipated Changes to the Approved FY19 Budget Billie Jo Turner, Interim Assistant Superintendent of Finance & Operations provided a budget update to the Committee that informed them that the Business Office has been busy identifying solutions to the budget dilemma, implementing internal controls for identified areas of system weakness and Human Resource issues/changes. The report included updates on the Health Insurance and Special Education Tuition. Ms. Doherty made a motion to have the administration prepare a memo informing the City Council that the reimbursement for the Digital Connections Partnership School Grant Program totaling $553,217.46 that was sent to the Lowell Treasurer/Collector’s Office in February of 2018 needs to be forwarded to the School Department as well as the Medicaid reimbursement; seconded by Mr. Descoteaux. 7 yeas APPROVED Mr. Nutter made a motion to accept the Anticipated Changes to the Approved FY19 Budget as a report of progress; seconded by Mr. Descoteaux. 7 yeas APPROVED 10.II. Vote to Accept Grant Award of $20,000 to Lowell High School from Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Marianne Busteed, Head of Lowell High School respectfully requested the approval of a $20,000 donation from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. The funds will be used for staff to travel with twenty-nine (29) honor students to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. Mr. Hoey made a motion to accept the donation of $20,000 from Silicon Valley Community Foundation; seconded by Mr. Descoteaux. 7 yeas APPROVED 10.III. Permission to Post; School Safety Coordinator Acting Superintendent Jeannine Durkin requested permission to post the grant funded School Safety Coordinator position. The position is the result of a grant award of $471,065 from the US Department of Justice designed to help bolster school security and provide enhanced coordination between the Lowell Public Schools and the City of Lowell first responders in the event of a crisis. The grant was award by the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP). Ms. Martin made a motion to approve the posting of the School Safety Coordinator position; seconded by Mr. Nutter. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 7 of 9) 10.IV. Budget Transfer Department: SCHOOLS TRANSFER TO: Account # Description Amount DESE Org. Object Project Function 99341203 512205 1200 Asst Supt - Student Suppt Svcs $ 36,933.00 Photocopier 99341224 575422 1400 Maintenance/Service $ 50,000.00 99341208 530002 1400 HR Contracted Services $ 25,000.00 90110112 544400 2300 Cardinal SA - General Supplies $ 13,000.00 99347112 575370 4000 Utility - Telephone $ 30,000.00 TOTAL $ 154,933.00 TRANSFER FROM: Account # Description Amount DESE Org. Object Project Function 99300003 577771 2400 School Committee Suspense $ 154,933.00 TOTAL $ 154,933.00 Reason for Transfer: To appropriate a portion of additional Chapter 70 funds Mr. Nutter made a motion to approve the budget transfer of $154,933.00; seconded by Mr. Descoteaux. 7 yeas APPROVED 11. CONVENTION/CONFERENCE REQUESTS 11.I. Trip- Ledyard, CT Permission for James Fitzemeyer and KC Nelson to attend the Whalley Computer Foxwoods Technology Conference 2018 from December 6 to December 7 in Ledyard, CT. There will be no cost to the Lowell School Department . Mr. Descoteaux made a motion to take and approve both convention/conference requests together; seconded by Mr. Hoey. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 8 of 9) 11.II. LHS - Trip To Alabama Head of School Marianne Busteed, requests permission for LHS staff members; Jessica Lander, Patricia Williams and Stephen Gervais along with a group of 29 LHS students to travel to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. They will travel on Friday, January 4th through Sunday, January 6, 2018. There are no costs to the Lowell High School or the School Department Budget. Mr. Descoteaux made a motion to take and approve both convention/conference requests together; seconded by Mr. Hoey. 7 yeas APPROVED 12. COMMUNICATIONS 12.I. Letter of Appreciation to Lowell Fire Department, Chief Jeff Windward, Retired Firefighter Larry Finn And Local 853 Mr. Descoteaux made a motion to accept the communications and to place them on file; seconded by Mr. Nutter. 7 yeas APPROVED 13. PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL 13.I. UTL-Sick Leave The Members of the United Teachers of Lowell hereby donate two [2] sick leave days to Nancy Renee Hill, Lowell High School teacher. Mr. Descoteaux made a motion to approve; seconded by Mr. Hoey. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 9 of 9) 14. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Nutter made a motion to adjourn at 8:19 p.m.; seconded by Mr. Hoey. 7 yeas Approved Respectfully submitted, Jeannine M. Durkin, Acting Superintendent and Acting Secretary to the Lowell School Committee JMD/mes Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us