MEETING OF THE
MONTPELIER BOARD OF SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS June 20, 2012 MINUTES Minutes Approved: July 18, 2012 Present Board: Jennifer Cahill Bean, Ken Jones, Carol Paquette, Charlie Phillips, Steve Robinson, Lowell VanDerlip Administration: Superintendent Brian Ricca, Director of Facilities Thom Wood Public: Sam Angell, Matt Dowling, Chloe Gordon, Keith Vance, Carl Vitzthum Absent: Sue Aldrich, Meghan Wingate Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Vice Chairman Steve Robinson. Executive Session On a motion duly made and seconded, the board voted unanimously to enter Executive Session at 6:30 p.m., with the superintendent remaining. On a motion duly made and seconded, the board voted unanimously to leave Executive Session at 7:13 p.m. Contract Negotiations Return to Open Session 7:13 p.m. Adjust/Review Agenda There were several additions to the consent agenda including one resignation, two teacher contracts, an unpaid leave of absence request, approval of the proposal for copier services, and approval of the superintendent’s contract. Public Comments None. Student Presentation Four members of the graduating class of 2012 reflected on their varying educational experiences in the Montpelier school system. The students shared with the Board their opinions on the district’s strengths and weaknesses. Update on Bond Numbers Outstanding debt and financial responsibilities for $2.5, $3.0 and $3.5 million bonds were provided. Mr. Robinson requested more specificity about Bob Giroux’s comments in regard to the district’s current indebtedness. Update on RFP for Asbestos Removal at UES Asbestos abatement notes were distributed. Mr. Wood reported that the additional reference checks performed on the lowest bidder were good and it looks like a viable proposal. He believes this proposal offers a good savings to begin the project. He would like to provide the lowest bidder with a notice of intent. They are prepared to start the project on June 25, 2012. Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mr. Phillips, to accept the low bid contract for asbestos removal at Union Elementary School. Motion carried unanimously. Discuss Oil Pre-buy Fuel procurement consortium notes were distributed. Mr. Wood explained current practice versus what he is proposing. Mr. VanDerlip moved, seconded by Mr. Phillips, to accept and allow the district to enter into the fuel procurement consortium. Motion carried unanimously. Update on RFPs for Copier Lease Five bids were received. Superintendent Ricca requested permission to grant the contract to the second lowest bidder based on a recommendation from the technology department who feels the copier machines from that bidder would be better for the district. This permission will be granted under the consent agenda. Update on Community Connections Superintendent Ricca reported that there has been little securing of outside money or additional grant money for the Community Connections program for next year. He believes the possibility of some contribution for funding this program needs to be a serious consideration for this Board entering the next budget season. Update on Director of Support Services Search Superintendent Ricca reported that he had reached out to a number of contacts to bridge the gap between July 1-31. As of this date, he has been unsuccessful in convincing anyone to work for the district for one month. Two people have expressed interest in helping on an on-call basis. Attorney Heather Lynn is willing to be on-call for the month of July. Additional applications have been received. Interviews will be conducted the week of July 9, with candidate(s) ready to be brought to the Board on July 18. Update on AD/AT Search Superintendent Ricca reported that when this position was originally posted, only one in-house candidate expressed interest. The administration was not comfortable with this scenario so the position was posted again. At that time, additional candidates came forward. Superintendent Ricca believes it is best practice to have more than one candidate for any position and feels everything has been done in this process to ensure that it could pass the integrity test. Hear Calendar Subcommittee Report Mr. VanDerlip reported that the subcommittee reviewed ideas generated after the first meeting. There is a need to refine the indicators and make a long-term commitment to them and to set into motion a two-year budgeting cycle. The subcommittee feels they do not receive the level of information they need in order to be liaisons with the community. There needs to be a built-in mechanism to ensure the flow of information so that board members know what’s going on. Direct communication with teachers has proven valuable and this needs to be worked into the calendar. There needs to be a conversation in regard to the limitations policies so that they are in a format that is both helpful to the Board and meaningful to the Superintendent. Mr. VanDerlip will generate a list of brainstormed ideas for discussion at the July 18 meeting. Mr. Phillips commented that increased principal presence at board meetings would help in the concern regarding flow of information. Policy Acceptable Use of Electronic Resources and the Internet – First Reading The district’s technology plan has been filed. Through that process, the Director of Technology, Vince Rossano, discovered some deficiencies in the district’s policies in areas regarding use of electronic resources and the internet. Mr. Rossano has worked with the state to address the noted deficiencies and the district will be back in compliance upon adoption and implementation of the policy being presented for consideration. Discuss Auditorium/Drama Feedback Mr. Jones shared some feedback obtained through an exit interview with a teacher from the music department. There was a recommendation for sharing with others some the duties not directly related to teaching, i.e., facility use. The lack of flexibility in scheduling was also discussed. With the expressed desire for a more robust drama and music program, Mr. VanDerlip suggested sharing this valuable feedback with the incoming high school principal. Consent Agenda Minutes of June 6, 2012 Warrants Resignations Gail Gorman Patty Gaston Teacher Contracts Authorize Superintendent to Submit Consolidated Federal Program Grant and to Receive and Expend Federal Funds Unpaid Leave of Absence Copier Lease Superintendent’s Contract Mr. VanDerlip moved, seconded by Mr. Phillips, to approve the consent agenda including minutes of the June 6, 2012 regular meeting, Warrants 51 and 52 dated June 21, 2012 in the amounts of $541,867.78 and $45,952.98 respectively, Warrants 53 and 54 dated June 29, 2012, Warrants 1 and 2 dated July 5, 2012 in the amounts of $450,000.00 and $65,000.00 respectively, one teacher resignation, one administrator resignation, the recommendation to offer teaching contracts to Heather McLane (social studies – MHS), Emmanuel Riby-Williams (physical education – UES) and Peter Taffel (special education – MHS), authorization for the superintendent to submit the Consolidated Federal Program Grant and to receive and expend federal funds, an unpaid leave of absence request, Oce North America’s bid for copier services, and the year 2 option contained in the superintendent’s contract. Motion carried unanimously. Announcements/Review Meeting (+/∆) Mr. Phillips expressed appreciation of the graduation ceremony, music was outstanding. Adjournment On a motion duly made and seconded, the board voted unanimously to adjourn at 8:37 p.m. Heather Michaud Recorder MEETING OF THE
MONTPELIER BOARD OF SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS June 6, 2012 MINUTES Minutes Approved: June 20, 2012 Present Board: Sue Aldrich, Jennifer Cahill Bean, Ken Jones, Carol Paquette, Charlie Phillips, Steve Robinson Administration: Superintendent Brian Ricca, Director of Facilities Thom Wood Student: Meghan Wingate Public: Lisa Cassetty, Benjamin Gamill, Christine Gibson-Davis, Michael Gibson-Davis, Amy Lee, Lestyn Mattison, John Moccia, Michele Moccia, Colin O’Meara, Tim O’Meara, Jami Robertson, Robert Solomon, Carol Sucher, Sandy Vitzthum, SunMi Winters, Joy Worland, and others Absent: Lowell VanDerlip, Ben Rose Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. Executive Session On a motion duly made and seconded, the board voted unanimously to enter Executive Session at 6:00 p.m., with the superintendent remaining. On a motion duly made and seconded, the board voted unanimously to leave Executive Session at 7:13 p.m. Contract Negotiations Return to Open Session 7:13 p.m. Adjust/Review Agenda The student presentation will take place before the public comments portion of the meeting. Other agenda items will be prioritized and addressed as time allows. Student Presentation Mr. Baginski and members of his sixth grade class presented some science experiments. Public Comments Members of the football team spoke about the budget cut to the football program for FY13. Discussion ensued. Superintendent Ricca acknowledged some miscommunication about the cut and agreed to restore some of the funding for the football program from budgeted funds for the girls’ ice hockey program which will not field a team for FY13. Discuss Potential Bond Items Mr. Wood performed a multi-pronged capital needs assessment on the buildings. A listing of these items was distributed. The list was divided into two sections, health and safety items and maintenance items. Following discussion, Mr. Robinson expressed the need to quantify things and understand how serious the deficiencies are. Mr. Wood acknowledged that the paybacks are not going to cover the improvements. Superintendent Ricca will put together some numbers for the next meeting with different scenarios for funding a bond. Mr. Robinson questioned how our district compares to others in terms of outstanding debt. Mr. Jones rationed that one reason for doing some of these items now is the low interest rates. Update on RFP for Asbestos Removal at UES Mr. Wood explained that there are seven qualified asbestos contractors in the State of Vermont. Of the seven, four bidders showed up and the district received proposals from three. Mr. Wood is going to perform additional reference checks on the lowest bidder. Discuss Unwarned Meeting of Quorum of Board Members Mrs. Aldrich informed the public of a small error in not properly warning a committee meeting of the Board. This committee will be making a public report at the next scheduled board meeting on June 20th. Discuss Framework for Obtaining Graduate Feedback Superintendent Ricca asked the Board to generate questions that might help guide what information they are looking for when the graduates come to speak. Board members will send this information to Superintendent Ricca by early next week. Mr. Jones asked the student representative, Meghan Wingate, to also ponder the type of questions she thinks kids might want to answer, or a framework for obtaining graduate feedback. Authorize the Board Chairman and/or the Board Clerk/Treasurer to Sign Warrants Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mr. Phillips, to authorize the Board Chairman or the Board Clerk/Treasurer to sign warrants on behalf of the entire Board between scheduled meetings. Motion carried unanimously. Update on Director of Support Services Search Of the four candidates interviewed, two were selected for second interviews. One of those candidates withdrew, leaving only one finalist. At this point the search is on hold. The current plan is to hire a consultant for the month of July, and reopen the search for an interim director to begin August 1st. Set Annual Calendar A draft calendar of board meeting dates for next year was provided. Mr. Phillips moved, seconded by Mr. Robinson, to approve the annual calendar as presented. Motion carried unanimously. Discuss Guidelines for Future Report on Superintendent Limitations Policy 2.1 The Board authorized Superintendent Ricca to interpret the limitations and provide evidence as he deems fit. The Board will then decide if the superintendent has demonstrated compliance to their satisfaction or if they need further investigation. Policy Harassment – First Reading Superintendent Ricca advised that the policy language presented has been reviewed and approved by counsel’s office at the Department of Education. There were no changes or objections. The policy will be warned for vote on adoption. Update on Community Connections Passed over. Consent Agenda Minutes of May 16, 2012 Warrants Resignations Lloyd Dugger Nancy Reagan Rachael Keaton Teacher Contracts Copier Contract Renewal Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mrs. Bean, to approve the consent agenda excluding the copier contract renewal and including minutes of the May 16, 2012 regular meeting, Warrants 49 and 50 dated June 7, 2012 in the amounts of $590,106.63 and $20,177.33 respectively, three teacher resignations, and the recommendation to offer teaching contracts to Cailin O’Hara (music – MHS/MSMS) and Sam Bromley (science – MHS). Motion carried unanimously. Announcements/Review Meeting (+/∆) Congratulations to the girls’ tennis team on their state championship! Graduation/step-up ceremonies for the district schools are June 13 at UES, June 14 at MSMS and June 15 at MHS. Mr. Phillips and Mr. Jones will be attending the state education meeting in July to present a proposal for consideration around the traditional reduction in force. Adjournment On a motion duly made and seconded, the board voted unanimously to adjourn at 9:12 p.m. Heather Michaud Recorder SPECIAL MEETING OF THE
MONTPELIER BOARD OF SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS May 22, 2012 MINUTES Minutes Approved: Present Board: Jennifer Cahill Bean, Carol Paquette, Charlie Phillips, Lowell VanDerlip Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 3:30 p.m. Public Comments None. Discuss and Draft Annual Calendar Discussed items to include in an annual work calendar for the Board following the framework of Policy Governance. We reviewed the superintendent limitations policies hoping to amend them in ways to make sure the Board receives information it requires. The recommendation was made that we continue this conversation with the full Board on June 6 and complete the calendar at the summer retreat meeting. Adjournment On a motion duly made and seconded, the board voted unanimously to adjourn at 5:10 p.m. Lowell VanDerlip Recorder MEETING OF THE
MONTPELIER BOARD OF SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS May 16, 2012 MINUTES Minutes Approved: June 6, 2012 Present Board: Sue Aldrich, Jennifer Cahill Bean, Ken Jones, Carol Paquette, Charlie Phillips, Steve Robinson, Lowell VanDerlip Administration: Superintendent Brian Ricca Student: Meghan Wingate Public: Kim Martin, Keith Vance, Ivy Zeller Absent: Ben Rose Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. Executive Session On a motion duly made and seconded, the board voted unanimously to enter Executive Session at 6:30 p.m., with the superintendent remaining. On a motion duly made and seconded, the board voted unanimously to leave Executive Session at 7:12 p.m. Contract Negotiations Return to Open Session 7:12 p.m. Adjust/Review Agenda Addition of two discussion items regarding next year’s calendar and late start on Wednesdays beginning in the fall. Addition of Minutes of the May 8, 2012 special meeting to the consent agenda. Superintendent Ricca suggested that the Board take some time during the meeting to visit the MHS art show taking place in the gymnasium this evening. Public Comments None. Discuss Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results Ivy Zeller and Kim Martin from the Central Vermont New Directions Coalition presented the 2011 survey data. Break: 7:20-7:57 p.m. Board members visited the art show. Discuss Policy Governance Model Mrs. Aldrich recognized the importance of putting together an annual calendar to structure the year as an essential first step. Mr. Robinson noted the need for a meaningful core group of indicators so that data can be assessed on an annual basis and carried over from year to year. Hear Annual Calendar Subcommittee Report Mr. VanDerlip reported that the subcommittee met on May 8, 2012 and discussed an annual work calendar to address information the Board would find useful to receive on a regular basis regarding management of the school district. Items discussed included national, state, and local assessment results, scheduling an annual retreat, conducting school board meetings in all three schools, student presentations and interactions with students K-12, an annual budget meeting early in the budget cycle, and meetings in March to review policy governance. Discuss Bond Timeline Re: Heating Initiative There are reserve funds available to pay for the asbestos abatement work. The district will need to bond for the other work that needs to be done in order to hook on to the system. A November versus March bond vote date was discussed. Mr. Phillips asked if there were other items that the Board should consider including in the bond. Superintendent Ricca reported that Thom Wood, Director of Facilities, is in the process of identifying and compiling a list of projects. Superintendent Ricca will invite Mr. Wood to the next meeting so that he can review this list with the Board. Discuss 2012-2013 Calendar A draft calendar was provided. Superintendent Ricca reported that this calendar is essentially a carbon copy of the current year calendar, with the exception of the inservice and parent conference dates in October. The proposal is to flip those dates for next year. Mr. VanDerlip moved, seconded by Mr. Phillips, to approve the calendar for the 2012-2013 school year as presented. Motion carried unanimously. Discuss District-wide Late Start on Wednesdays for 2012-2013 Superintendent Ricca requested feedback from the Board on his proposal for a district-wide late start on Wednesdays beginning in the fall of 2012. The purpose of this initiative is to provide teachers with additional professional development time. The focus of the professional development will be the Common Core and Professional Learning Communities. Student drop-off times on the late start days will not change. Support staff will provide student supervision during this time. Superintendent Ricca informed the Board that some of the scheduling issues at UES are already being addressed. Mr. VanDerlip indicated that although he has no intentions of opposing this plan, he does have concerns about it. He suggested a two-year approach, and then reexamining. Review and Discuss Action Plan A copy of the district’s Action Plan was provided. Action Item Resignations/Intent to Rehire Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mr. VanDerlip, to approve two teacher requests to resign from their current FTE positions and be rehired at reduced FTE positions for the 2012-2013 school year. Motion carried unanimously. Consent Agenda Minutes of May 2, 2012 Minutes of May 8, 2012 Warrants Unpaid Leave of Absence Requests Teacher Contracts Co-Curricular Contract Mr. VanDerlip moved, seconded by Mr. Phillips, to approve the consent agenda including minutes of the May 2, 2012 regular meeting, minutes of the May 8, 2012 special meeting, Warrants 47 and 48 dated May 24, 2012 in the amounts of $656,521.80 and $26,825.78 respectively, three unpaid leave of absence requests, the recommendation to offer teaching contracts to Allison Havens (science – MHS), Katherine Chabot (science – MHS), Whitney Machnik (math – MHS/MSMS), Joy Partridge (school nurse – UES), Brigitte Orliac (foreign language – MSMS) and Lisa Cassetty (language arts – MSMS) and a co-curricular contract (see listing). Motion carried unanimously. Announcements/Review Meeting (+/∆) Policy governance discussion nowhere near as exciting as the art show (Mr. VanDerlip) A suggestion was made to coordinate a board meeting with UES KinderArt. More and more track and field kids from MHS doing well (Mrs. Aldrich). Field trip participants need to present to the Board (Mr. Jones). Mr. Jones suggested extending an invitation to graduating seniors through their teachers to share with the Board a reflection of their time at MHS. This could be done via a brief, two-minute presentation at a board meeting, through a writing, or even by submitting a video. Adjournment On a motion duly made and seconded, the board voted unanimously to adjourn at 8:57 p.m. Heather Michaud Recorder Co-curricular Appointment SPECIAL MEETING OF THE
MONTPELIER BOARD OF SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS May 8, 2012 MINUTES Minutes Approved: May 16, 2012 Present Board: Jennifer Cahill Bean, Carol Paquette, Charlie Phillips, Lowell VanDerlip Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 3:30 p.m. Public Comments None. Discuss and Draft Annual Calendar Discussion: An annual work calendar to address superintendent limitations policies, board ends policies, and information the Board would find useful to receive on a regular basis regarding management of the school district. Will discuss thoughts on these topics with the full Board on May 16, 2012. Adjournment On a motion duly made and seconded, the board voted unanimously to adjourn at 4:50 p.m. Lowell VanDerlip Recorder |