MEETING OF THE
MONTPELIER BOARD OF SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS June 1, 2016 MINUTES Minutes Approved: June 24, 2016 Present Board: Bridget Asay, Michele Braun, Steve Hingtgen, Ken Jones, Tina Muncy, Jim Murphy, Peter Sterling (arr. 7:13 p.m.) Administration: Superintendent Brian Ricca, Director of Facilities Thom Wood Student: Theresa Noonan Public: Alice Colwell, David Dobbs, David Mears, Lori Rose, Lane Safford, Liliane Savard, Gina Tron, Charlie Watson, Peggy Watson, Kaye Winter, and others Absent: Brynn Bushey Item I – Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. Ms. Asay requested the addition of an agenda item to extend the charge of the After-School Programs Committee. Item II – Public Comment None. Item III – Action Item Extend Charge of the After-School Programs Committee Ms. Asay moved, seconded by Ms. Muncy, that the deadline for the After-School Program Committee’s report be extended to July 31, 2016. There is a survey being circulated soliciting information about experiences and opinions in regard to after-school programming. Motion carried unanimously. Item IV – Consent Agenda Approval of Minutes of May 18, 2016 School Board Meeting Approval of Warrants for Payroll for June 10, 2016 (Limitations Policy 2.4) Approval of New Teacher Contract (Limitations Policy 2.9) Approval of Annual Calendar of Board Meeting Dates Approval of Authorization for the Superintendent to Receive and Expend Federal Funds Approval of Authorization for the Board Chairperson and/or the Board Clerk/Treasurer to Sign Warrants Ms. Muncy requested to remove the annual calendar of Board meeting dates from the consent agenda. On a motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the May 18, 2016 regular meeting, Warrants 55 and 56 dated June 9, 2016 in the amounts of $585,269.31 and $14,583.11 respectively, the recommendation to offer teaching contracts to Laura Ballantyne (Grade 3 – UES), Shannon Miller (Grade 4 – UES), David Couture (special education – MSMS), Lynn Jakubauskas (school nurse – MSMS), Susan O’Brien (family and consumer science – MSMS), Sarah Olson (SLP – MHS) and Jessica Kobb (literacy interventionist – UES), authorization for the superintendent to receive and expend federal funds, and authorization for the Board Chairperson and/or the Board Clerk/Treasurer to sign warrants on behalf of the entire Board between scheduled meetings or in absence of a quorum. Motion carried unanimously. Ms. Muncy moved, seconded by Ms. Asay, to approve the annual calendar of Board meeting dates with the addition of July 13 as the July meeting date and the August meeting date to be decided. Mr. Hingtgen requested clarity on the law in regard to board members participating in meetings via Skype. Superintendent Ricca promised to check on this and provide an update at the next meeting. Motion carried unanimously. Item V – Limitations Policy 2.8 – Communication and Support to the Board Musical Performance Members of the MHS Jazz Band performed a piece from their CD, The Take 4 Sessions. Item VI – Action Item Adoption of Policy – Federal Child Nutrition Act Wellness Policy Mr. Hingtgen moved, seconded by Mr. Sterling, to adopt the Federal Child Nutrition Act Wellness Policy. Motion carried unanimously. Item VII – Limitations Policy 2.1 – Treatment of Parents, Guardians, Students, and Citizens David Dobbs Mr. Dobbs presented a summary of his survey results. Superintendent Ricca read two e-mails he received regarding the survey. The plan going forward is to have a presentation from the administration and the 7/8 teaching teams at Main Street Middle School in September or early October to give an overview of the Summit and Sirius programs and to communicate to the Board how the programs work. Item VIII – Limitations Policy 2.6 – Asset Protection Five Year Capital Plan Director of Facilities Thom Wood provided the Board with a prioritized list of unfunded capital improvement projects. There was discussion in regard to utilizing the bonding process versus spending down the reserve fund to cover some of these projects. Bond timing and amounts were also discussed. Mr. Wood will continue to confirm exact design, engineering and construction costs for a number of the identified projects over the next two to four months. Item IX – Limitations Policies 2.1 and 2.8 Update from the Superintendent A written report was provided. There will be a better discussion of 2.1 at the July meeting. In preparation for that discussion, Ms. Asay noted the need for more context. Mr. Hingtgen said the two things he cared about were the values that helped form it, as well as the need to be able to monitor it in terms of compliance. With regard to 2.8, Mr. Hingtgen suggested starting small in regard to the accomplishments piece. Item X – Governing Style (Process Policy 4.1) Meeting evaluation Mr. Jones recognized the Board’s need to initiate something appropriate to acknowledge and thank Business Manager Rossi for her years of service to the District prior to her departure in June. Superintendent Ricca will generate and distribute a chart of graduation dates for the respective schools. A graduation press release was requested. Item XI – Adjourn On a motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn at 9:41 p.m. Heather Michaud Recorder MEETING OF THE
MONTPELIER BOARD OF SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS May 18, 2016 MINUTES Minutes Approved: June 1, 2016 Present Board: Bridget Asay, Michele Braun, Ken Jones, Tina Muncy, Jim Murphy Administration: Superintendent Brian Ricca (dep. 7:18 p.m.), Principal Mike McRaith Students: Brynn Bushey Public: Karen Nelson, Liliane Savard Absent: Steve Hingtgen, Theresa Noonan, Peter Sterling Item I – Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. Item II – Public Comment None. Item III – Consent Agenda Approval of Minutes of May 4, 2016 and May 11, 2016 School Board Meetings Approval of Warrants for Payroll for May 27, 2016 (Limitations Policy 2.4) Approval of New Teacher Contract (Limitations Policy 2.9) Approval of Resignation Kerri Zurowski Ms. Asay moved, seconded by Ms. Muncy, to approve the consent agenda including minutes of the May 4, 2016 regular meeting, minutes of the May 11, 2016 special meeting, Warrants 53 and 54 dated May 26, 2016 in the amounts of $810,995.53 and $32,577.82 respectively, the recommendation to offer a teaching contract to Emily Cooke (speech/language pathologist – EEE), and a teacher resignation. Motion carried unanimously. Item IV – Mandated Policy – Wellness Third Reading Mandated Policy Proposed changes from the second reading were reviewed. No further changes were requested. The policy will be warned for adoption at the next scheduled meeting on June 1, 2016. Superintendent Ricca expressed appreciation for all of the time, energy and research put into this by Liliane Savard and thanked her for putting forth a policy that will serve all students in Montpelier Public Schools. Item V – Limitations Policy 2.8 – Communication and Support to the Board Proficiency Based Graduation Presentation – Principal McRaith MHS Principal Mike McRaith provided an informational PowerPoint presentation in response to the Board’s request for a better understanding of proficiency based graduation requirements. Item VI – Limitations Policy 2.8 – Communication and Support to the Board Superintendent’s Report – End 4 Presentation of this report was passed over due to the fact that Superintendent Ricca had to leave the meeting early. Mrs. Braun confirmed that interpretation of the ends policies, as well as appropriate indicators for these policies, will be a topic of discussion when the Leadership Team and the Board meet on June 24, 2016. Accept Superintendent’s Report Item VII – Governing Style (Process Policy 4.1) Meeting Evaluation Board members thanked Principal McRaith for an informative session. Item VIII – Adjourn On a motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn at 9:22 p.m. Heather Michaud Recorder SPECIAL MEETING OF THE
MONTPELIER BOARD OF SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS May 11, 2016 MINUTES Minutes Approved: May 18, 2016 Present Board: Bridget Asay, Michele Braun, Steve Hingtgen, Ken Jones, Tina Muncy, Jim Murphy, Peter Sterling Administration: Superintendent Brian Ricca Students: Brynn Bushey, Theresa Noonan Item I – Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. Mr. Jones requested the addition of an Executive Session prior to adjournment. Item II – Public Comment None. Item III – Consent Agenda Approval of Solar Service Agreement with Novus Energy Development Approval of Administrator Contract Mr. Murphy moved, seconded by Ms. Asay, to approve the consent agenda including a solar service agreement with Novus Energy Development and the recommendation to offer an administrator contract to Matthew Roy (assistant principal/athletic director – MSMS). Motion carried unanimously. Item IV – Limitations Policy 2.8 – Communication and Support to the Board Superintendent’s Report – End 1 Superintendent Ricca discussed the report and took feedback from board members about the report itself and ways to improve the report going forward. Accept Superintendent’s Report Ms. Asay moved, seconded by Mr. Murphy, to accept the superintendent’s report. Motion carried unanimously. Item V – Executive Session Motion for Approval for Executive Session for the Purpose of Contract Negotiations Mr. Jones moved that the Board find that discussing contract negotiations in open session would put the Board at a substantial disadvantage. Ms. Asay seconded and the motion carried unanimously at 7:57 p.m. Motion to Move to Executive Session for the Purpose of Contract Negotiations. Mr. Murphy moved that the Board enter into Executive Session in accordance with 1 VSA §313 to discuss contract negotiations. Ms. Muncy seconded and the motion carried unanimously at 7:57 p.m. On a motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted unanimously to leave Executive Session at 8:45 p.m. Item VI – Adjourn On a motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn at 8:45 p.m. Dr. Brian G. Ricca Recorder MEETING OF THE
MONTPELIER BOARD OF SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS May 4, 2016 MINUTES Minutes Approved: May 18, 2016 Present Board: Bridget Asay, Steve Hingtgen, Ken Jones, Tina Muncy, Jim Murphy, Peter Sterling Administration: Superintendent Brian Ricca Students: Brynn Bushey, Theresa Noonan Public: Alice Colwell, David Dobbs, Karen Nelson, Liliane Savard Absent: Michele Braun Item I – Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. by Vice Chairperson Bridget Asay. Item II – Public Comment Montpelier resident David Dobbs shared concerns about the Sirius and Summit teams at Main Street Middle School. He said structural differences in the program create inequity in education quality. He asked the Board for a public hearing to discuss the matter, for an evaluation of the program based on data, and for a decision about the program based on the evaluation. Following discussion, Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Ms. Muncy, to add this topic to a future school board meeting when the administration is appropriately prepared to discuss it and hopefully before the end of this academic year. Mr. Hingtgen noted the importance of the Board being systematic and the need for a process when there are concerned community members. Mr. Murphy offered a friendly amendment to Mr. Jones motion, seconded by Mr. Sterling, that the Board recommend to the Board Chair that the issue be placed on a future agenda for Board discussion. Motion carried unanimously. Item III – Consent Agenda Superintendent Ricca requested to add approval of a staff addition for FY17. Approval of Minutes of April 6, 2016 School Board Meeting Approval of Warrants for Payroll for May 13, 2016 (Limitations Policy 2.4) Approval of Quarter 3 Financial Report (Limitations Policies 2.3, 2.4) Approval of New Teacher Contracts (Limitations Policy 2.9) Approval of Resignations Cynthia Murphy Patti Magoon Rebecca Cardone Ann Nelson Kelli-Ann Cody Approval of Phone System Contract Approval of FY17 Staffing Addition Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Ms. Muncy, to approve the consent agenda including minutes of the April 6, 2016 regular meeting, Warrants 51 and 52 dated May 12, 2016 in the amounts of $515,250.91 and $29,783.49 respectively, the FY16 third quarter financial report, the recommendation to offer teaching contracts to Alixandra West (social worker – MSMS) and Beth Comerci (behavior analyst – UES/MSMS/MHS), teacher resignations, the recommendation to accept the phone system proposal from Sovernet, and a 0.2 staffing addition for math for FY17. Motion carried unanimously. Ms. Asay thanked resigning staff for their service. Item IV – Mandated Policy - Wellness Second Reading Mandated Policy A second reading of the policy occurred. Revisions from the first reading were reviewed and further revisions were suggested. Draft policy goals were shared which will not be part of the policy itself. A third reading will be scheduled for May 18th. Item V – Limitations Policy 2.6 – Asset Protection Superintendent’s Report A written report was provided and reviewed. Mr. Hingtgen suggested speaking to longitudinal accomplishments as a way for demonstrating compliance with #3 and #5. Accept Superintendent’s Report Mr. Murphy moved, seconded by Mr. Jones, to accept the superintendent’s report on 2.6 asset protection. Motion carried unanimously. Item VI – Limitations Policy 2.8 – Communication and Support to the Board Updates for the Board Proposed dates for meetings between the Board and the Leadership Team were discussed. An update on the District’s work with Novus Energy was provided. A response to the Roxbury School Board’s invitation to attend their May 9th meeting was discussed and will be communicated by Superintendent Ricca. Item VII – Governing Style (Process Policy 4.1) Meeting evaluation Board members thanked Ms. Asay for stepping in as Chair during Mrs. Braun’s absence. The fifth grade presentations were wonderful. The unified basketball team was recognized for its success. There was discussion about the City Council’s recent RFP for sale of the Recreation Department building on Barre Street. Congratulations to Kirby Gordon on his first place finish in the 23rd annual Mathematics Talent Search competition sponsored by the Vermont State Mathematics Coalition. Mr. Jones briefly reported on the AOE’s workshop on developing accountability measures for schools. Item VIII – Adjourn On a motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn at 8:58 p.m. Heather Michaud Recorder MEETING OF THE
MONTPELIER BOARD OF SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS April 6, 2016 MINUTES Minutes Approved: May 4, 2016 Present Board: Bridget Asay, Michele Braun, Steve Hingtgen, Ken Jones, Tina Muncy, Jim Murphy, Peter Sterling Administration: Superintendent Brian Ricca, Director of Facilities Thom Wood Student: Brynn Bushey Public: Christopher Curtis, Terry Holloway, Sarah McKearnan, Karen Nelson, Liliane Savard, and others Absent: Theresa Noonan Item I – Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:03 p.m. Item II – Public Comment Sarah McKearnan and Chris Curtis previewed their request for the Board to allocate $100,000 from the reserve fund for the UES playground project. Item III – Consent Agenda Approval of Minutes of March 16, 2016 School Board Meeting Approval of Warrants for Payroll for April 15, 2016 and April 29, 2016 (Limitations Policy 2.4) Approval of Co-Curricular Appointment (Limitations Policy 2.7) Approval of Contract for Business Manager Approval of Teacher Contracts for FY17 Approval of Partial Resignation Approval of Superintendent’s Report on Transportation from the March 16, 2016 Meeting Mr. Hingtgen requested to remove the superintendent’s report on transportation from the consent agenda. Ms. Asay moved, seconded by Mr. Murphy, to approve the consent agenda absent the superintendent’s report on transportation, and including minutes of the March 16, 2016 regular meeting, Warrants 47 and 48 dated April 14, 2016 in the amounts of $685,903.76 and $23,917.20 respectively, Warrants 49 and 50 dated April 28, 2016 in the amounts of $815,496.20 and $27,000.00 respectively, a co-curricular contract (see listing), the contract for the Business Manager, FY17 teacher contracts, and Katy Chabot's 0.4 FTE resignation. Motion carried unanimously. Mr. Hingtgen moved, seconded by Ms. Asay, to accept the superintendent's report on transportation from the March 16, 2016 meeting. Mr. Hingtgen questioned the reason for this item appearing on the consent agenda since it was his belief that the report had already been accepted. Superintendent Ricca confirmed that the report, through oversight, was not in fact accepted at the last meeting and accepting it tonight was merely a formality. There was discussion about removing the reference to St. Michael’s Elementary School in the transportation policy itself since that school no longer exists. Superintendent Ricca confirmed that could be done at some point but would require a policy warning. This will be added to the Board’s list of “to do” items. Motion carried unanimously. Item IV – Mandated Policy (5.F24) – Harassment, Hazing and Bullying Adopt policy on Harassment, Hazing and Bullying Superintendent Ricca confirmed that although there had been three readings some time ago, this policy was never formally adopted. Mr. Hingtgen moved, seconded by Ms. Muncy, to adopt the policy on the prevention of harassment, hazing and bullying of students. There was discussion about the process for warning and adopting state mandated policies, as well as governance policies, and whether or not that process is the same. Superintendent Ricca promised to check on this. Ms. Muncy pointed out the lack of reference to transgender students in the policy. Ms. Asay said she believes that if the Board’s goal is to have policies that speak to parents, then they need to be clear and easy to understand. She went on to say that some of the language contained in the model policies the District receives from the VSBA is unnecessarily hard to understand. Mrs. Braun suggested that the Board write a letter to the VSBA asking for more accessible policies. There was consensus for Mrs. Braun to write this letter, with a suggestion that she provide the VSBA with specific examples. Motion carried unanimously. Item V – Mandated Policy- Wellness First Reading Mandated Policy Liliane Savard, District Wellness Coordinator, presented a first draft of the revised policy. There was expressed concern in regard to the quality of food served in the District’s lunch program and the possibility of adopting standards beyond the USDA guidelines. Reproductive health issues and education were discussed. There was lengthy discussion about adding a provision to the policy for making an effort or starting an effort to provide meals to students when school is not in session. Ms. Asay agreed to draft a proposal in this regard for consideration at the next reading. Superintendent Ricca urged the Board to be careful on the language about the immediacy of this, saying it was his hope that the language would be around growing this policy over time. He went on to say that he would rather see this as a goal and would be overwhelmed with a policy statement making the District responsible for feeding students when school is not in session because he feels the District is already not serving students in the best way it can outside of the academic world as it pertains to their mental health. Mr. Hingtgen said he was not comfortable with a policy that deferred to low standards as contained in paragraph V(A) and promised to do some homework in that regard. There will be a second reading of the policy at the next meeting. Item VI – Limitations Policy 2.5 – Emergency Superintendent Succession Superintendent’s Report A written report was provided. Accept Superintendent’s Report Mr. Hingtgen moved, seconded by Ms. Asay, to accept limitations report 2.5 as presented. Motion carried unanimously. Item VII – Limitations Policy 2.4 – Financial Planning and Budgeting Leadership Team Recommendations for Use of Reserve Fund A written report was provided detailing the Leadership Team’s recommendations for use of the reserve fund. Director of Facilities Thom Wood reviewed the capital improvement projects resulting from the most recent $2.3 million bond. Superintendent Ricca explained that the Leadership Team developed three different categories for recommendations for the unreserved fund balance – learning, technology and facilities. The facilities category was broken down into three additional categories – utmost importance, design and engineering for issues of safety and compliance, and design and engineering for non-safety issues. Accomplishing all items on the Leadership Team’s list of recommendations would cost $729,000. The FY15 available and unreserved fund balance is $1,237,262. There was discussion about the needed boiler room work at Main Street Middle School and the possibility of exploring a change in fuel source for that building. There was also discussion in regard to the possibility of another bond. Mr. Jones recognized the need for an additional meeting for further discussion and resolution of the facilities issues. Direct Leadership Team in Use of Reserve Fund Superintendent Ricca requested that the Board offer a motion as to its predisposition about the Leadership Team’s recommendation for use of the reserve fund regarding learning and technology. Mr. Hingtgen moved, seconded by Ms. Muncy, to accept the administration’s proposal for learning and technology expenditures from the reserve fund. Mrs. Braun moved to amend the motion to include the fire alarm system at UES, but then withdrew her proposed motion to amend. Motion carried unanimously. Mrs. Braun moved, seconded by Mr. Jones, to accept the Leadership Team’s proposal for spending $80,000 to replace the fire alarm system at UES and to increase spending for civil engineering for the UES playground from $37,000 to $40,000. Mr. Jones said he would like to move toward using the reserve fund to get preparatory work done for all projects that need to be completed in order to entertain the bond discussion. Mr. Hingtgen said he saw no reason for waiting and would support approving everything on the Leadership Team’s list, as well as spending extra money on the playground, and bring the reserve fund down to 2%. Superintendent Ricca suggested revising the number for the MSMS boiler room work to reflect just design rather than spending the requested $178,000. Mr. Jones said it would be his preference to keep more in the reserve if the Board could use more bonding capacity. He said identifying items that are bondable would give the Board more latitude in next year’s budget. Mr. Sterling said he saw no reason for keeping more than 2% in the reserve. Mrs. Braun disagreed, saying she would like to see the Board keep more than 2%. The motion was defeated unanimously. Mr. Hingtgen moved, seconded by Mr. Sterling, to accept the back page of the Leadership Team’s recommendations with one modification, namely, the bullet for the UES playground be set at $100,000, some of which will be used for engineering and some for other uses as determined by Mr. Wood and working with the committee. There was continued discussion in regard to learning about total cost for a few of the projects before committing money from the reserve fund for the work. Ms. Asay moved, seconded by Mr. Jones, to amend the motion to reduce the middle school piece to $30,000 and the UES playground to $40,000. Mr. Hingtgen said he saw no reason for not just putting the playground money in. Mr. Jones said his reason for excluding the money other than the engineering was because he wanted to bond the project. Mr. Sterling opposed including the playground in a potential bond, saying he feared including that project might weigh it down. The motion to amend passed 5-2, Ms. Muncy and Mr. Hingtgen voting against. The motion as amended passed 5-2, Ms. Muncy and Mr. Hingtgen voting against. Item VIII – Limitations Policy 2.8 – Communication and Support to the Board Superintendent’s Report – End 1 Passed over. Accept Superintendent’s Report Passed over. Item IX – Governing Style (Process Policy 4.1) Meeting evaluation Passed over. Item X – Executive Session Motion for Approval for Executive Session for the Purpose of Contract Negotiations Mr. Murphy moved that the Board find that discussing contract negotiations in open session would put the Board at a substantial disadvantage. Mr. Jones seconded and the motion carried unanimously with Mr. Hingtgen absent at 10:10 p.m. Motion to Move to Executive Session for the Purpose of Contract Negotiations. Ms. Asay moved that the Board enter into Executive Session in accordance with 1 VSA §313 to discuss contract negotiations. Mr. Jones seconded and the motion carried unanimously with Mr. Hingtgen absent at 10:10 p.m. On a motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted unanimously to leave Executive Session at 10:40 p.m. Item XI – Adjourn On a motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn at 10:40 p.m. Heather Michaud Recorder Co-Curricular Appointment |