Minutes
Quincy, Massachusetts - November 7, 2012
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular Meeting
A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday,
November 7, 2012 in the City Council Chambers at City Hall. Present were
Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mayor Thomas Koch, Mrs. Emily Lebo, Mrs. Anne Mahoney,
Mr. David McCarthy, and Ms. Barbara Isola, Vice Chair.
Vice-Chair
Presiding
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There was a moment of silence for Mr. Al Collins, an employee of the Quincy
Public Schools Maintenance staff for over 25 years.
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The Superintendent called the roll and Mr. Bregoli was absent. Also present
were: Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk; Mr.
Ahearn, Mr. Draicchio, Mrs. Fay-Beers, Ms. Horan, Mr. Jorgensen, Ms. Maureen
MacNeil, Mr. Mullaney, Mr. Mulvey, Mrs. Papile, Mr. Ranft, Ms. Reardon, Mr.
Santoro, Mr. Keith Segalla, Mr. Shaw, Mr. Sylvia, Ms. Todd; and Mrs. Tracey
Christello, Citywide Parents’ Council Representative.
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Regular Meeting Minutes Approved
10/24/12
Mr. McCarthy made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Hubley, to approve the Regular
Session minutes for October 24, 2012. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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Open Forum
As no one wished to be heard at Open Forum, the School Committee moved to the
the next item on the agenda.
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Superintendent’s Report
The Superintendent introduced Quincy High School Principal Frank Santoro for a
Student Recognition. Mr. Santoro introduced Quincy High School senior Amelia
Wool, who recently received a Peer Leadership award from the Norfolk District
Attorney’s office. Ms. Wool is a peer leader, an active member of the National
Honors Society, writes for the school newspaper and newsletter, coaches youth
soccer, volunteers at the Red Cross, works with the Recreation department, and is
part of a group creating a learn to swim program at Sterling and Lincoln-Hancock.
Ms. Wool was recognized by the School Committee and received a certificate
recognizing her accomplishments signed by Mayor Koch, Vice Chair Ms. Isola,
and Superintendent DeCristofaro.
The Superintendent noted upcoming Quincy Public Schools events including
American Education Week; the poster and essay contest winners will be celebrated
at the December 12, 2012 School Committee Meeting. Through the generosity of
the Quincy Rotary and the Rural Lodge of Masons, Grade 7 students from all five
middle schools and Quincy High School’s Grade 9 students were able to attend a
Rachel’s Challenge presentation. The annual Fall Gathering of Quincy Public
School staff will be held on Wednesday, November 14; the event’s attendees
donate food items to support four local food pantries. ‘Tis the Season will be held
on Tuesday, December 4 at Quincy High School.
Dr. DeCristofaro noted that school newsletters from the Montclair, Parker,
Squantum, and Wollaston Elementary Schools were shared with the School
Committee and that the Quincy Elks Lodge has once again donated dictionaries to
all of the Grade 3 students in the Quincy Public Schools, over 700 students.
As the Fall sports season draws to a close, Dr. DeCristoforo spoke of the Middle
School Cross-Country championship that had 250 student participants, many of
whom qualified to attend the state championships. The Girls’ Cross-Country City
Championship was won by Broad Meadows and the Boys’ Cross-Country City
Championship was won by Central. At the high school level, the Quincy High
School Boys’ Soccer team, the North Quincy High School Girls’ Soccer team, and
the Girls’ Volleyball teams from both high schools participated in the first round of
the MIAA tournament.
Dr. DeCristofaro announced that Mr. Rob Shaw has been appointed as Principal of
North Quincy High School. Mr. Shaw is a North Quincy High School graduate,
and served as teacher, English department head, assistant principal, and acting
principal.
Dr. DeCristofaro concluded his report by thanking the School Committee for their
active participation in the review process for the School and Program Improvement
Plans, noting the many Subcommittee meetings held in the last few weeks where
the plans have been presented by school principals and program directors.
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New Business
Education Technology Team Update
The Superintendent introduced Executive Director of Information Technology
Keith Segalla who spoke of the district’s Information Technology plan’s benchmarks
and stressed the integration of technology with curriculum. Technology tools are used
to engage students and enhance student achievement. Education Technology is a
collaborative initiative across the community: the City and School Committee
funding and direction; the City’s IT support for the website, the new email system,
and fiber lines; and Parent-Teacher Organization funding for equipment.
Mr. Segalla then introduced Atlantic Middle School Principal Maureen MacNeil,
who thanked the Mayor and School Committee for the recent funding through
Comcast for the school’s new computer lab, 13 MimioTeach suites, 13 projectors.
These technology upgrades support hands-on learning and make connection to real
world experiences for students. Technology alone will never replace a dedicated
teacher but teachers and students are excited and utilize these tools in daily
practice. She then introduced Atlantic Science teacher Mr. Chris Ranft, but as
there were technical difficulties, the School Committee moved to the next item on
the agenda while they were being resolved.
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Out-of-State Travel
Mayor Koch made a motion to approve the out of state travel of the Sterling Middle
School Grade 6 students to Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island on
November 28, 2012, Mr. McCarthy seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the
ayes have it.
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Additional Business
At the upcoming Massachusetts Association of School Committee Conference,
Mrs. Hubley will be representing the Quincy School Committee. At the General
Session, there will be resolutions to be voted on by all representatives present:
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Establishment of a special commission of the legislature for the study of
mandated reports and data submissions for school districts, given that the
time deemed necessary for preparing mandated reports and data
submissions detracts from the time allotted to running a school district,
directly impacting the students.
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Modification of the circuit breaker formula; the spiraling tuition costs for
special education are adversely affecting school budgets.
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Health insurance coverage for medically necessary treatment in school; an
increasing number of special education students come to school needing
accommodations for physical health-related issues rather than educational
deficits or learning disabilities.
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Funding for Educator Evaluation System: the establishment of statewide
standards for educator evaluation includes extensive and highly specific
requirements for school administrators and may require considerable time
and cost to implement.
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Adequacy study: For several years, proponents of greater financial
assistance to school districts have urged that the state authorize a formal
study to determine the adequacy of Chapter 70 funding and the fairness of
the distribution formula.
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Election of Governing Boards of Commonwealth Charter Schools: Not
applicable to QPS, as there are no charter schools in district
Mayor Koch and Mrs. Lebo asked for clarification on Resolution 5. Mr. Mullaney
said that with the state’s Chapter 70 formula is a complex computation based on
land valuations. Quincy receives significantly less than cities and towns with
similar school populations, but there are no guarantees how a change to the
formula would affect the distribution of funds.
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the Massachusetts Association of School
Committee resolutions. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Lebo and on a voice
vote, the ayes have it.
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New Business (continued)
Education Technology Team Update
Despite continuing technical issues, Mr. Ranft demonstrated the MimioTeach, which
can be deployed on any whiteboard or wall; it is portable, and can be shared between
classrooms. The MimioTeach comes with software, including a gallery of photos and
lessons,for example, images of chemical models embedded in a Periodic Table of
Elements. Content for all primary content areas for Grades K-12 is included with
the MimioTeach. Teachers can also add their own content, including images.
Mrs. Mahoney asked for clarification of whether MimioTeach can be integrated
with new technologies and those that can be integrated include iPads and MOBIs.
North Quincy High School Principal Rob Shaw then reviewed the 75 hours of
training received by fourteen Quincy Public Schools staff members over the
summer; these trainees will then train other staff members. North Quincy High
School English Department Chair Mike Jorgensen demonstrated MimioTeach’s
interaction with the Microsoft Office Suite (specifically Word and PowerPoint.
The system has drag-and-drop capabilities, allowing teachers to manipulate and
update existing content. There is an Activity Wizard that allows the teacher to
build quizzes. System-wide, teachers are very willing to learn and invest the time
to create the student-centered activity; ease of use makes every teacher a specialist
in instructional design. Mrs. Lebo asked about correlation to the Common Core
Standards; Mr. Jorgensen spoke about the developing online community of lesson
sharing and the ability to adapt lessons through the technology.
Clifford Marshall Elementary School Principal Nick Ahearn then gave an
overview of the MimioView document camera. He reiterated that educational
technology is a collaborative effort with funding from business partners,
DonorsChoose.org, and the school’s Parent-Teacher Organization. Ms. Reardon, a
Grade 1 teacher at Clifford Marshall, demonstrated a document camera which
allows a teacher to project items onto the whiteboard. Uses for the document
camera include sharing student work and peer editing. The camera is also useful as
a science tool to demonstrate concepts, and can be used with a microscope. Ms.
Reardon noted that she also utilizes the camera’s audio feature by having students
read aloud to benchmark fluency at the beginning, middle, and end of the school
year.
Squantum Elementary School Principal and Education Technology Team Co-Chair
Steve Sylvia spoke about the Educational Technology team’s collaboration with
the Principal Team, the Curriculum Team, and cited the team’s ambitious goals for
2012-2013, including piloting online curriculum and media center resources,
continuing to support existing programs, and revising the acceptable use policy.
Squantum Grade 4 Math Teacher Mrs. Horan demonstrated the MOBI View using
a page from the Go Math textbook; mobility within the classroom allows for
individualized student instruction. The MOBI allows teachers to save annotated
lessons, share with students and parents, and share student work across different
sections. Thanks to Squantum’s supportive PTO, there are eleven MOBIs in use at
the school.
Dr. DeCristofaro complimented Mrs. Horan and all of the presenters on their
technical skills; Ms. Isola reiterated the compliments and requested updated
information about computer access at home for Quincy Public Schools students.
Mrs. Mahoney asked for smartphone access to be included in the survey.
Central Middle School Principal Jennifer Fay-Beers then spoke about the
preparation underway for technology in the new Central Middle School. In
anticipation of the move next fall, the staff are working together to bring
technology into the school this year, sharing knowledge and areas for growth. Five
EnoBoards are currently installed at Central; six staff members have been trained
and will train other teachers in their curriculum area beginning in January. Every
staff member will have the opportunity to practice and present a lesson of their
own by the end of the year. In addition, five document cameras and LCD
projectors have been purchased. At the new Central, there will be EnoBoards and
document cameras in every classroom. A pilot of iPads in the classroom will
begin shortly and help determine the ratio of mobile devices to static computer
labs. Central’s goal is to share knowledge and discoveries with other schools and
reach out to parents through technology training. Central is using the online grade
book EnGrade and online scheduling for parent teacher conferences. Technology
allows parents to be invisibly supportive at a stage when students want more
independence.
Mr. McCarthy noted that the middle schools received a large amount of funding
recently and expressed hopes that the elementary schools might be addressed next;
he also thanked the PTOs across the school system for their support. Mrs. Lebo
asked for an update on the technology deployment across the schools so that the
School Committee could assess equity. She also asked about the new student
information system and whether online grading would be available for all schools.
Mr. Segalla replied that as of next school year, all schools will have access to
online grading. Dr. DeCristofaro finished by thanking all of the teachers and
principals for presenting and for their diligence in pursuing the technology options.
Mayor Koch thanked Mr. Segalla and the teachers and principals for their
excitement and willingness to adapt to the new tools. The city is committed to
going forward and support for the elementary schools will be forthcoming through
the Comcast money.
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Communications
Mayor Koch announced that a ribbon-cutting ceremony would be held on
November 18 for the new track facility.
Mayor Koch also announced that the city has received a grant for drug awareness
education and cited the work of the Drug Task Force including members of the
Quincy Public Schools staff. Quincy Police Lt. Glennon was recently commended by
the White House for his work on implementing the NarCan program in the city.
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Reports of Subcommittees
Teaching and Learning Subcommittee
Mrs. Lebo reported on the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee meetings that were
held on October 30, 2012 and November 5, 2012. The eleven elementary school
principals presented their School Improvement Plans and reflected on their schools’
2011-2012 goals and achievements. For 2012-2013, all of the schools have goals
related to English Language Arts and Mathematics MCAS achievement and are
utilizing school and district-wide initiatives related to the rollout of the new
Common Core State Standards. In addition, all schools have a goal related to
student and staff Wellness. Mrs. Lebo noted that all School and Program
Improvement Plans are posted on the individual school and program pages on the
Quincy Public Schools website www.quincypublicschools.com.
Mrs. Lebo made a motion to approved the minutes from the October 30, 2012
Teaching and Learning Subcommittee and the School Improvement Plans for the
Montclair, Bernazzani, Squantum, Parker, Wollaston, and Beechwood Knoll
Elementary Schools. Mrs. Mahoney seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the
ayes have it.
Mrs. Lebo made a motion to approved the minutes from the November 5, 2012
Teaching and Learning Subcommittee and the School Improvement Plans for the
Atherton Hough, Snug Harbor, Clifford Marshall, and Merrymount Elementary
Schools. Mr. McCarthy seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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Health, Transportation, and Safety Subcommittee
Mrs. Hubley reviewed the Health, Transportation, and Safety Subcommittee
Meeting that was held on November 6, 2012. Mrs. Maura Papile presented the
Student Support Services Program Improvement Plan, noting that the team
continued to monitor the school system’s high-risk population and focused on
providing professional development on barriers to learning. In addition, all levels
of guidance staff participated in updated 504 plan training, including permission
forms and ways to assess students remaining on these plans, more closely aligning
the process with the Special Education Department’s IEP process. The School
Psychologists participated in all professional development with the guidance staff.
The Supervisors of Attendance maintained the residency hotline and worked with
school sites on attendance issues; they also hosted professional development with
school sites on intervening with residency and attendance issues. The Homeless
Liaison worked on educating staff at school sites about issues related to
homelessness and kept updated on outside resources to assist students and families.
For this year, there are many new initiatives for the Student Support Services team
supported through professional development. For the upcoming professional staff
evaluation, the DESE rubrics will be utilized as a practice exercise with staff
creating goals and evaluating their own progress.
Mrs. Jane Kisielius presented the Health Services Program Improvement Plan.
Last year’s goals of revising the medication self-administration policy was
completed in collaboration with the School Committee; the school nurses provided
outreach and training for parents and staff on concussion awareness, in addition to
the development of the Concussion Policy again in collaboration with the School
Committee. For this year, the nursing staff is continuing to work with high school
and middle school staffs to monitor concussion diagnosis and treatment, including
academic accommodations and medical follow-up. The main initiative for Health
Services is to spearhead the development of school site Wellness Teams and
coordinate with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Health Services’ second
goal focuses on the Essential School Health grant and the project to create a
district portfolio related to the scope of requirements for the grant. For the Health,
Nutrition, and Wellness Team, the goal is to revise the QPS Wellness policy. A
draft will be reviewed at a joint Policy and Health, Transportation, and Safety
Subcommittee meeting on December 3. The Alliance for a Healthier Generation
will be making site visits in the next couple of months.
Mr. Michael Draicchio presented the Transportation Program Improvement Plan
by giving a brief overview of the program. Most of the Transportation
department’s goals are ongoing, including professional development for all staff
before the school year begins that reinforces best practices. Operational
effectiveness is a focus of the department, route planning for regular and special
education, and constant communication and resolution of issues. In addition, the
collaborative working relationship with the Registry of Motor Vehicles and the
preventative maintenance program ensure the safety of the QPS vehicles on the
road.
Mrs. Joanne Morrissey presented the Food Services Program Improvement Plan by
noting that some goals are ongoing from last year. The implementation of the
point of sale system was completed at North Quincy and the middle schools, and
will be rolled into the elementary schools beginning with Wollaston next month.
Last year, QPS was a pilot district for direct certification for those students
receiving transitional assistance from the state (close to 1,800 students); also
implemented a direct verification process for a sample review of eligibility. An
ongoing goal is the development of performance evaluation procedures that will
need to be implemented for food services workers. The final goal is to work with
the Health, Wellness, and Nutrition team on the revision of the QPS Wellness
Policy.
Mrs. Hubley made a motion to approved the minutes from the November 6, 2012
Health, Transportation, and Safety Subcommittee Meeting and the Student Support
Services, Health Services, Food Services, and Transportation Program
Improvement Plans. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes
have it.
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Adjournment
Mayor Koch made a motion to adjourn at 8:45 pm. Mrs. Lebo seconded the
motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it. There was no Executive Session.