Minutes
Quincy, Massachusetts - May 7, 2008
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular Meeting
A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday, Regular
May 7, 2008 at City Council Chambers, City Hall. Present were Mr. Kevin Meeting
Mulvey, Mr. Nick Puleo, Mrs. Elaine Dwyer, Mrs. Jo-Ann Bragg, Mr. Dave
McCarthy and Mayor Tom Koch, Chairman.
Chairman Presiding
- - -
The Superintendent called the roll and Mrs. Mahoney was absent. Also present
were: Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary, Mrs. Tefta Burrelli, Clerk. Messrs.
O’Brien, Mullaney, McPhee, Dr. Pattavina, Ms. Powell, Todd, Hughes, and Roberts.
Ms. Tracey Christello represented Citywide, and Mr. Paul Phillips, QEA President,
was present.
- - -
Reg.&Exec Session Mins. Approved 4/9/2008
On a motion by Mrs. Bragg, seconded by Mrs. Dwyer, the Committee
approved the regular and executive session minutes for April 9, 2008
with a correction. On a roll call vote, the amended minutes were approved
6-0. Mrs. Mahoney was absent.
- - -
Appointment Sterling Principal
The Superintendent announced that he has selected Ms. Christine Barrett
as Principal of the Reay E. Sterling Middle School.
Interviews will be held for two elementary principals, one middle school
principal and two department heads for the high school. There are many
concerts and graduations ongoing in the schools. The School Committee
has been invited to these events.
Health Services
This is National School Nurses’ Day. Quincy has 25 nurses in the schools
under the leadership of Jane Kisieluis. Quincy has again received the
Continued Health Services Grant for $158,000. This grant will end in June
2013. It will support additional nurses, health supplies, health aides, services
to non public schools, and computerized health records.
We have acquired some of the software for Riverdeep and Destinations.
It is available to some of our schools. It is aligned with out text curriculum
and Mass Curriculum.
Middle School Presidents Cup robotics competitions were held in the
Quincy High School area. Over 100 students participated in this
event. There are five levels of awards. They compete against
each middle school. Central was the overall winner. This program
is funded through the 21st Century Grant.
The Principals’ Induction Ceremony was held on April 30. The new
Principals were recognized and this year the Superintendent invited
retired principals. There are pictures on the Quincy Web page.
The Committee received the Arts Brochure. It lists all events being
held for the rest of the school year. Special events for Physical Ed
will be held all this week. Students’ art work will be in the Crane
Library. Everyone was invited to attend.
The Teacher/Mentors held a celebration to thank the new staff and
their mentors for their support. This has been a big success for our
new teachers.
Quincy Symphony Evening at the Pops will be held tomorrow
night at the Quincy Marriott. The Middle School Jazz Band will
perform.
- - -
Open Forum/Track @ Faxon
Mr. Chris Chapman, Ms. Cathy Bowes, Joe LaRaia, Joe Renzi, Patrick
Joyce who all live in the area of Faxon Field all spoke to the proposed track
at Faxon Field. They were not in favor of putting the track there. They
were mostly concerned with flooding in the area. There is stagnant water.
There are many houses in the area that already get water in their cellars.
They feel that putting the track in that spot would only make it worse.
They are in favor of putting the track at Pageant Field. Mr. Gerry Fiori
said he was in support of the track at Faxon Field.
Mr. Paul Phillips, QEA President, said the members were all in favor
of the proposed three-term marking period for the middle schools. They
would like to revisit this next year and see how it is working out.
- - -
Bldg. Update
Maintenance staff are closing down the heating systems for the season and
the air conditioning will be activated. The handicap ramp at Wollaston has
been replaced with a concrete ramp. The library at Quincy High School
has been moved to the second floor of the main building. The second floor
ceiling and walls at Atherton Hough were repainted this week. Sections of
Snug Harbor walls have been repointed.
- - -
New QHS
Mrs. Dwyer reported that the Quincy High School Building Committee met
on Friday, April 25. The high school continues on budget. They are two
weeks behind schedule due to negotiations with two unions. There is a
contingency plan for the picketing that will take place at the high school.
The members received a new monthly calendar showing progress of the
new school. With regard to the issue of Faxon Field, members of SSMA
did initial investigating of the track. Mrs. Dwyer asked Ed Frenette to
provide the School Committee with some basic information on the track at
Faxon Field--nothing beyond gathering information he already had. They
did approve the guaranteed maximum price that Gilbane gave for the final
project for the high school. They voted unanimously in favor of that. This
will guarantee that the project will come in at the prices quoted unless
changes are made. They discussed furniture, fixtures, and equipment.
This could affect the cost of the high school. They will meet again within
the next week or so.
Mr. Puleo asked for a number of documents mentioned in the minutes -- the
guaranteed maximum price documents, a copy of the masonry decision, the
responsible employee ordinance spread sheets, and the HVAC system control
system letter by Mayor Koch and the points of clarification on the savings from
phase 4, the buffer zone that was reduced from $1.4 to $997,000. This was
due to the cost of masonry outside in the court yard. He asked why that wasn’t
caught in initial the savings.
Mrs. Dwyer will get those reports for everyone. There is some contingency
money built in reserved for any possibility of change orders. If it is not used
it will not be billed to the City.
There are some remediation costs to the existing high school. Work needs to
be done to the portion of the building that was not demolished.
Mr. Puleo asked for missing minutes that he didn’t receive.
- - -
Central Bldg. Committee
Mayor Koch said he will be scheduling a Central Building Committee
meeting and waiting for Mrs. Mahoney’s return. The Committee is fully
filled and Mr. Timmins is chair.
- - -
Sections 5 & 11
Mrs. Bragg made a motion to approve section 5 and all of section 11
except for 11.6, seconded by Mr. McCarthy. On a roll call vote, the
motion passed 6-0. Mrs., Mahoney was absent.
- - -
Bullying Policy
Mrs. Bragg asked Mrs. Powell to assist in presenting some of the Bullying
Policy. Ms. Stice’s research was incorporated into this. She thanked Ms. Stice.
Everyone worked on the draft – school attorneys reviewed the policy. This
policy sends a clear message to all that Quincy will respond to any allegation
of bullying. On a motion by Mrs. Bragg, seconded by Mr. Mulvey, the Committee
approved the Anti Bullying Policy. On a roll call vote, the motion passed 6-0.
Mrs. Mahoney was absent.
- - -
MS Marking System
Mrs. Bragg reported that the Middle School Grading Change was proposed
by the Middle School Principals. Due to MCAS testing there isn’t much
teaching time. Mrs. Bogan reported that they are asking to go to a trimester
system. This also gives continuity from grade 5 to 6. This will give a longer
marking period term one.
Progress Reports
Mrs. Bragg said progress reports were discussed. They all felt that teachers
and parents need to communicate with each other. More teacher education
and adding a check off box to the form would help. The members asked for
two comments by the teacher. Mrs. Bogan will incorporate this into the POS
book. In September the principals will train all teachers. On a motion by Mrs.
Bragg, seconded by Mr. McCarthy the Committee moved approval of going
from a four to three terms at the middle school leavel. This item will remain
on the table until the next meeting.
- - -
Track @ Faxon Field
Mr. Timmins, Mrs. Powers, and Mr. Franz all spoke to the proposed track
at Faxon Field. Mr. Timmins addressed the jurisdictional issues. He
has met with Gale Associates. Gale has constructed a number of tracks
in the area. A special act was granted to the City to use Faxon Field for
school purposes. As far as the track on Faxon, the School Committee
would have jurisdiction over it. All phases of this track would come before
the Committee.
The Mayor has said he doesn’t want the track at Pageant and will not fund it.
The Park Dept. has rescinded its vote for it there. As far as going to Faxon,
SMMA did only test borings at the site in a limited area. Mr. Timmins
showed where the boring are. They believe that more boring work has to be
done. Gale associates will do all the work for $67,000 plus $10,000 to do
subsurface work. There is $120,000 unused for the track.
Mr. Timmins spoke with Rachel Freed of the DEP. If they were to do anything that would interfere, they would have to do wetland replication. The
City agreed to treat the wetlands on the site at the highest level of scrutiny.
The City will entertain an amendment to the permit but until they see it, they
don’t know what they’re going to say about it. They feel by moving the track
from the Russell Park side to the Coddington side they will be able to work
on the track facility impacting the wetlands a little less.
Mr. Timmins explained the proposed track – the oval, the shoot, the straight
away. They do have to go back to the City Council on the financing as it
is coming out of the bond. They are asking the School Committee for authority
to use this site.
As far as the jurisdiction goes, Mrs. Dwyer asked if it was not Faxon Field,
would the School Committee have jurisdiction on another site. Mr.
Timmins said yes, but only the Mayor has the authority to fund.
Mrs. Dwyer asked Mr. Timmins to find out if they can amend the permit.
Would that open any doors for any appeals? She would like a legal opinion.
She didn’t want to open that door again.
Mrs. Dwyer expressed concern that the field would not be available until
the summer of 2011. That area is to be used for staging. Mr. Timmins
said they would look at alternatives for staging needs and get the field
sooner rather than later.
Mr. Timmins spoke about pitching the track inward, the rainfall would
be collected into a drainage system and carried out. This won’t eliminate
neighborhood issues, but it should help.
Mr. McCarthy asked why SMMA is being relieved of the track process.
Mr. Timmins said they have spoken about Faxon Field. He didn’t think they
could credibly go in another direction.
Mr. Timmins said the track at Faxon would cost around $1 million. Gale
can’t be definitive about borings. Gale outlined four options. Jim Timmins
handed out a chronology of the track.
Mr. Franz said they need to find out more information on site conditions, and
environmental permit conditions so they can make financial judgments
based on all the different options. They need to spend money to do that. It
will cost in the vicinity of $20,000 to $25,000 for Gale to decide.
The track will be 5’ off the side walk and 16’ off the street. Fixing the
parking lot is not part of the track project.
The committee asked about bleachers. Also the discus and javelin
will have to go off site.
Mrs. Bragg asked that this be moved to the School Facilities Subcommittee.
And, she felt that the proposal is too close to the street to put students on.
Mr. Puleo was concerned that our students have gone a number of years
without a track. If the School Committee doesn’t accept this proposal,
the community would be faced with a number of years without a site.
The Mayor said there aren’t a lot of options. It won’t fit at Sterling and
it won’t fit at Kincade. He added that Pageant is a beautiful passive site.
Mr. Peter Adams said that the family would not approve of putting a
track at Pageant Field. It is not a personal thing, but the track will not be
built at Pageant Field.
Track to Subcommittee
This item was moved to the School Facilities Management subcommittee.
- - -
Maintenance to City
Mayor Koch is asking the School Committee to vote to adopt the
provisions of Chapter 71 section 37 m. Their vote would be to consolidate
the control of Maintenance and turn it over to the City.
Mr. Timmins stated that each building in the City is doing its own
ordering. The Honeywell project is a current cost that has to be paid.
The first year is $3.3 million dollars. That payment is covering all
school buildings, however the City is making that payment. One of
the issues coming up is even though 70% of the benefit was conferred
upon the schools, 100% is coming from the City side. That bodes
towards consolidation of maintenance. The school side had a history
of issues with capital maintenance. The School Committee’s focus
should be on school issues.
Mr. Timmins added that Mr. Cunniff is doing too much. He needs
administrative help. He needs people to work under him. The goal
here is to have management of buildings all brought under one umbrella
so he can share that. There are a lot of demands held by Mr. Cunninff
previously held by Mr. Ryan and the City is not able to handle.
Mr. Timmins added it could impact down the road financially if we don’t
consolidate. Administratively there is a problem with the way things
are handled.
The members feel that the Maintenance employees should be at the
table. They asked Mr. Timmins why would they want to change the present
arrangement. They feel that the plan they have now is the best for the
school system.
To Subcommittee
Mr. Mulvey moved this into the subcommittee. He asked for a list of all
the buildings in the City including school buildings that the consolidated
Maintenance Dept. would take care of. He also asked for a written proposal.
Mr. McCarthy said he has a problem giving away the control from the
Superintendent and the School Committee. They can’t guarantee the
safety of the kids. Also, he didn’t hear Mr. Ryan’s name mentioned.
If there is a problem at the city side and a problem on the school side,
who goes first? Most of Mr. Cunniff’s time has been dedicated to the
high school.
Mr. McCarthy asked if Mr. Ryan was in the new structure. Mr. Timmins
answered that his position stays, but he is not in that new structure. The
proposed structure has Mr. Cunniff as the Director.
Mrs. Dwyer has called a Subcommittee meeting for May 13 at 4:00 p.m. to
discuss this. She asked for the number of employees the City side has. How
will they fund the new positions under the new structure. She took exception
to his opening remarks that the school side has experienced 70% of the Honeywell
expenses but the City side is paying all of that. The School Committee does
not own the buildings. Any benefit on the school side is a benefit to the city
side. She didn’t see a difference and we are all on the same side. She thought
it an unfair statement and closed it by saying they should all work together.
Mtg. stopped @ 3 hrs. Vote to continue
As the meeting had gone on beyond three hours, Mrs. Bragg made a motion
seconded by Mr. Puleo, to continue this meeting. The ayes have it.
Mrs. Dwyer said she saw no savings to the City side to move salaries there
and the schools would lose authority of its buildings.
- - -
NQ to Italy
On a motion by Mr. Mulvey, seconded by Mr. Puleo, the Committee
approved a trip for North Quincy Foreign Language students to go to
Italy from June 27 to July 14, 2008. The ayes have it.
NQ to France
On a motion by Mr. McCarthy, seconded by Mrs. Bragg, the Committee
approved a trip for North Quincy Foreign Language students to go to
France from April 13, to April 25, 2008. The ayes have it.
BM to Canobie Lake
On a motion by Mrs. Bragg, seconded by Mr. Mulvey, the Committee
approved a trip for Broad Meadows students to go to Canobie Lake
Park on June 16, 2008. The ayes have it.
PW to NY City
On a motion by Mr. Puleo, seconded by Mrs. Bragg, the Committee
approved a trip for Point Webster students to go to New York City
from June 4 to June 6, 2008. The ayes have it.
Central to PA
On a motion by Mrs. Bragg, seconded by Mr. Puleo, the Committee
approved a trip for Central students to go to Gettysburg, PA from June 9
to June 11, 2008. The ayes have it.
NQ to NE Institute of Technology
On a motion by Mr. McCarthy, seconded by Mr. Mulvey, the Committee
approved a trip for North Quincy High students to go to N.E. Institute
of Technology, Rhode Island on May 9, 2008. The ayes have it.
- - -
Gift to Project Access
On a motion by Mrs. Bragg, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, the Committee
accepted a gift of $170.00 donated by the Protestant churches in North
Quincy and Wollaston to Project Access. The ayes have it.
Gift to student for Medical Equipment
On a motion by Mr. McCarthy, seconded by Mr. Puleo, the Committee
accepted a gift of $1,001.13 donated by the Rural Masonic Lodge to be
used for medical equipment for one of our students. The ayes have it.
- - -
DA’s office
Mr. Mulvey reported that District Attorney William Keating’s office has
mailed out 680 CDs (In One Split Second) to all eighth graders. He
thanked the DA’s office. They also paid for the postage.
Mayor Koch thanked Cleaner Greener Day, National Honor society
and the Literature contest he attended.
- - -
Honeywell Discussion
Mrs. Dwyer reported that a School Facilities Mgt. Subcommittee was held
to discuss the Honeywell Project. Mr. Fatseas passed out information
showing what has been completed to date and what is left to do. He
also gave an inventory of every piece of equipment that went into the schools.
There will be a central server. The boiler work controls are not in place as yet.
That is the last piece of the job. When installed, Honeywell will train all
custodians. If there are any problem, Honeywell has a 24 hr. service. The
Committee would like the Maintenance personnel to be trained on the controls also.
- - -
Policy Subcommittee
A Policy Subcommittee was held whereby the Middle School Principals
presented a change from four times a year grading system to a three times
a year. It has been presented to their staff, PTOs, and School Councils,
and all are in agreement. This new policy is agreeable to all the middle
school principals. The subcommittee also discussed Progress Reports.
The Subcommittee approved the Anti Bullying Policy.
- - -
Budget Subcommittee Safety & Transportation Job Descriptions
The Budget subcommittee met to discuss separating the Director of Security
and Transportation into two positions. The Superintendent passed out
copies of job descriptions for a Coordinator of Security and a Coordinator of
Transportation. Another meeting will be held on May 13 for further discussion.
Mr. McCarthy and Mrs. Bragg are working on the job descriptions for both
of these positions. Whether or not this should be two positions will come to
the full committee for a vote. On a motion by Mrs. Bragg, seconded by Mr.
McCarthy the Committee approved the minutes of the Policy Subcommittee.
The ayes have it.
- - -
FY09 Budget to CC
Mr. Mulvey said he notified by email all the members that the School
Committee will present its budget to the City Council on June 5 at 6:45 p.m.
- - -
Health & Safety Sub./Free Breakfasts
Mr. Puleo reported that the Health and Safety Subcommittee met on April 15
to discuss the school breakfast program. Representatives from Project Bread
were present. Quincy has two elementary schools, Parker and Snug Harbor, where
all students are able to access a free breakfast every day. The costs for the
meals are paid for by the federal government. Project Bread has been working
closely with Mrs. Morrissey for the past number of years. Project Bread would
like to increase the number of meals provided to students.
The Superintendent wants the Wellness Teams included in any decisions
related to changes in the breakfast program. Mr. Puleo agreed and noted
that each school should pick the method that best fits its unique character.
The next phase would be to work with the Wellness Teams at Parker and
Snug Harbor to see which plans would work at each school. Mrs. Morrissey
will continue to work with Project Bread and the teams on implementation.
- - -
Retirements
The Committee noted the following retirements:
Teacher: Angela Check
Resignations
The Committee noted the following resignations:
Teacher: Ryan Durst
Computer Tech: Edward Beach
Programmer: Scott Coleman
Café Helper: Cheryl Morano
Appointments
The Committee noted the following appointments:
Café Helper: Mary Lou Curran
Lunch Attendant: Cheryl Fellows
Food Worker: Diane Pineau
- - -
Executive Session
Mr. McCarthy made a motion, seconded by Mr. Mulvey, to go into
Executive Session at 10:49 p.m. for the purpose of negotiations. On a
roll call vote, the motion passed 6-0. Mrs. Mahoney was absent.
- - -
Return to Open Session/Maintenance Contract. Ratified
The Committee returned to Open Session at 11:02 p.m. On a motion
by Mr. Mulvey, seconded by Mrs. Bragg, the Committee ratified the
contract between the Maintenance union and the School Committee
April 10, 2008. On a roll call vote, the motion passed 6-0. Mrs.
Mahoney was absent.
- - -
Adjournment
On a motion by Mrs. Bragg, seconded by Mr. Mulvey, the Committee
adjourned for the evening at 11:03 p.m. On a roll call vote, the
motion to adjourned passed 6-0. Mrs. Mahoney was absent.